


Fire Burns Trees

by Sylph_of_Space



Category: Divergent Series - Veronica Roth, Fairy Tail
Genre: Adult Content, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Blood, F/M, Guns, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Love, More characters to be added, More tags to be added, No war, Shitty dads, Slice of Life, Suggestive Themes, Tropes, Violence, crossover?, simulations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-10-25 21:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 23,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10772538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylph_of_Space/pseuds/Sylph_of_Space
Summary: Levy McGarden was a perfectly happy Amity girl, thank you very much. She liked the colors, the nature, the farming, the peace, the kindness. However, she had a knack for getting into trouble. She liked to adventure, why would that be a bad thing?Her aptitude test should have been easy. It should show she was Amity, maybe Abnegation. That's not what it shows her, however. It shows her the most opposite factions as her choices. When the time comes, what will she choose?Intelligence?Selflessness?Peace?Honesty?Or bravery?And who does this rude, angry instructor with the red eyes and wild black hair think he is?





	1. The Test

Levy McGarden looked at herself in the small mirror she had. Her boring brown hair, long and braided back, stood out to her in the mirror. Her golden eyes sparkled with an unending curiousity and want of adventure, but that sparkle was dulled by her nerves for today. Today was the day of her aptitude test. It would tell her what faction she belonged to. It would tell her if she should stay with Amity, where the colors were red and orange and yellow and it was peaceful and kind, or if she should go elsewhere. 

Abnegation, where the colors were greys and they helped other, rejecting vanity and other selfish things. 

Dauntless, where the colors were black but the styles varied greatly, where hair colors could be strange and tattoos were seen everywhere and they were brave and daring. 

Erudite, where the colors were blues and they were smart, the inventors of the city, encouraging intelligence and the furthering of knowledge. 

Candor, where the colors were black and white, and where everyone told the truth, the world was seen only in black and white and honesty was the highest value.

Levy loved her home in Amity, she loved everything about it, but she was scared what the test would tell her. She didn't feel complete here. She didn't want to leave either. She would miss the fresh air, the fields, the colors. Her family.

"Levy! Let's go, you're going to be late!" Her mother called to her. She snapped out of her thoughts and hurried outside, climbing into the truck so she could be taken to her school. That's where the test would be held. It was also one of the only times she would interact with and see other factions, whenever she was at school. Her dress today was orange, and one of her favorites. She stood in the Amity line, waiting like everyone else, talking quietly with an old friend, when the sound of a train interrupted her. 

The sound of whooping and cheering caught her attention, as well as several others. Black blurs jumped from the moving train, landing solidly on their feet, some rolling, but all making it with practiced ease. Dauntless had arrived. Levy always saw them with a strange mix of fascination. They were brave, but reckless. Daring, but stupid. She watched a younger girl jump off, followed by an older boy. Both couldn't be taking the test today. The girl was too young and the boy looked to be a couple years older than the testing age. The girl really caught Levy's attention because she had a deep blue hair color. It was tied in two pigtails that swung as she walked and chatted excitedly with the boy with her. It looked like he was just taking her to school. 

The boy in question glanced her direction and she was startled to see red eyes looking back at her. They gave him a harsh appearance, almost a mean one. His many piercings glinted in the sunlight and his long black hair seemed untamed and untouched by a brush for a very long time. She looked away rather quickly, a tiny blush staining her cheeks for having been caught staring. 

The doors finally opened and she was ushered inside into a waiting area, where she sat and sat until they called her in for her own test. She, along with the other sixteen year olds testing today, did not have classes in favor of taking the whole day to think about the test after the fact. She looked up, having gotten lost in her own thoughts again, as her name was called. "Levy McGarden." A man called with a raised eyebrow, motioning her over.

She walked over quietly. There were adults from every faction giving the test, because you couldn't have the test administered by your own faction. This man seemed to be from Dauntless originally, if his colored hair and tattoo seemed to be any indication, but he wore the blue clothes of an Erudite. His blue hair was darker than his clothes and his tattoo was some sort of red tribal symbol over his eye. "My name is Jellal and I'll be administering your test today. Please, have a seat." He instructed calmly. Levy climbed up on the chair, being reminded vaguely of a doctor's office. He hooked up a few wires to her as she watched with wide, curious eyes. Then, he handed her a vial of liquid to drink. Some sort of serum. 

"What's this?" She finally spoke up. "I want to know what it is before I drink it." 

Jellal only raised an eyebrow at her. "Bottoms up, kid." 

She stared at him for a moment before finally drinking back the serum. She laid back in the seat and closed her eyes, waiting for the simulation to take place.

* * *

Levy stood in a field of grass, much like the ones at home. Before her lay a knife and a block of cheese in the basket. "Choose." A voice said. It was gruff, male. She stared at her options before picking both. She would need something to cut this cheese with, after all. It was a solid block of cheddar. Just as she started to cut into the cheese, a very angry dog appeared. She stared at it and it stared at her. It snarled as she moved to grab the cheese. She gently tossed the cheese in the dogs direction, which seemed to calm it down. 

A little girl appeared then, the same one she saw outside before. "A dog!" She said cheerfully, running towards the dog. 

"Wait, don't-!" Levy tried to warn her but the dog was already agitated. It growled and pounced do the girl. She didn't think, she only reacted-she jumped at the dog, the knife in her hand, and it ended up killing the dog. "Oh... no, no!" She cried. She didn't want to kill the dog. This was _horrible_. 

The scene changed then, so fast it made her head spin. She was on a crowded street and a woman ran up to her, crying and holding a picture of a child. "My child, please! He's gone missing, have you seen him?" She asked. The picture looked strangely familiar, but Levy didn't want to give her any false hope. 

"I'm sorry, I haven't." She said softly. The woman grew angry then, accusing her of lying, but Levy held her ground in her statements. Just as it looked like the woman would grow violent, she woke up.

* * *

She sat up with a gasp. Jellal rushed forward, gently pushing her back. He offered her a cup of water. She was sweaty and pale, confusion across her face. "Your results are a little unusual, as they are as far apart as they could be. Amity and Dauntless. It's not unusual for people to get two factions, however." He explained, disconnecting the wires on her. "You lied to the woman, which ruled out Candor and, in a way, Abnegation. You chose both cheese and knife, Amity and Dauntless, and chose both peace and violence. You were reckless instead of smart about things, ruling out Erudite." He continued, packing things away. "You're free to go home now, though you know the rules. You can't discuss this with anyone." He said sternly. She nodded, getting up from the table and swaying slightly. 

"Thanks for the explanation." She asked. She started to walk towards the door, then stopped. "Why did you leave Dauntless?" 

He smiled ruefully. "I felt like I didn't belong there anymore. I regret the people I left behind, however." He turned his back to her, effectively cutting off their conversation. With a confused frown, she left the testing room and went back outside, now waiting to be picked up to go home. 

She had a lot to think about.


	2. Choosing Ceremony

Levy let her bare feet dangle in the air as she sat in a tree, watching the younger Amity children running around in the fields of grass. She thought about her future. If she stayed in Amity, she would end up like her mother. She would find a nice, Amity man and fall in love. She would work the fields and cook and have children. She would raise those children to be peaceful, good Amity children. She would be a good Amity woman, mother, wife. 

Her mind shifted to Dauntless. She had no idea what life was like in Dauntless. Maybe she would get a tattoo. Maybe she would color her brown hair blue. A sky blue, perhaps. Maybe she would fall in love there, maybe she would be a solo woman. Maybe she would be daring and grave and strong, everything she wasn't now. Maybe she would stay the same. Life in Amity was a certainty. Life in Dauntless was filled to the brim with maybes and unknowns. 

* * *

She didn't know what she would do yet. She thought about it through dinner with her family. Her mother noted her distraction. "Are you alright, Levy?"

"Yeah, mom. Thanks. Just thinking about tomorrow." Tomorrow would be the Choosing Ceremony. 

"How did your test go today?" Her father asked, glancing up at her. 

"You know I can't talk about it." She mumbled, poking at her fresh strawberries on her plate. The conversation about her choice died then, changing to a new topic: the greenhouses and how they were doing. Levy remained quiet until she had finished and excused herself to her room once she cleared her own area. Sleep was fitful and hard to come by for quite a while.

* * *

She followed behind her mother as they walked into the elevator in the Hub the next day. Her father was right behind them. She dressed in a sunshiny yellow dress today with a vibrant red headband. Her hair was tied back, like always. Once they reached the floor they were headed to, both her parents hugged her tightly. "No matter what, we love you." Her mother whispered before letting her go. They took their seats with the rest of the family members of all the other people who had to choose today. 

They stood together in a large circle. Levy was not near anyone she knew. She saw a large number of faction members in the crowd from each faction, waiting to welcome the new initates into their factions. A leader from Abnegation stood and addressed the crowd. A leader she could not remember the name of. She hardly listened to his speech as well. It was all about the faction system and how good it was, how much it benifited everyone and everything, how it eliminated human evils. Of course, it mentioned the famous phrase, faction before blood. If Levy chose to leave Amity she would likely never see her parents again. 

They stared to call up the sixteen year olds in reverse alphabetical order. Her last name was McGarden, so she would be somewhere in the middle. Names filtered in and out of her subconscious, she was too focused on her own dilemma to pay much attention. She vaguely noticed two boys from Candor she had gone to school with transfer to Dauntless. She remembered them, barely. They were hardly seen apart. She thought they might have been brothers. 

"Levy McGarden." That was her name. Her feet moved on their own, without her telling them to move. She walked up on the stage and stared at the five bowls before her. 

Stone. Dirt. Water. Glass. Coals. 

Abnegation. Amity. Erudite. Candor. Dauntless. 

She picked up the knife and sliced her hand open, feeling the pain barely. Blood pooled in her palm and she hesitated for a moment before opening her hand over the bowl of coals. 

Over Dauntless. 

Her blood sizzled on the hot coals and she blinked, barely registering what had happened. She walked back off the stage and barely noticed the rest of the ceremony. She vaguely noticed each person who chose the same as her, however. A blonde girl from Erudite chose Dauntless with zero hesitation, a fire in her eyes as she did so. Levy wished she could have had the same determination as her. She watched a few Dauntless born choose their home faction. A pink haired boy with an infection grin. A black haired boy with a scowl and tattoo. The ceremony ended with final words from that man she couldn't remember the name of and everyone stood. Levy followed the Dauntless people who moved to the stairs, loudly and recklessly. She allowed herself to smile as they all charged down the stairs. It was freeing. It was exciting. It was amazing. 

They ran outside. There was a train coming by and it was a little slower than usual she thought, probably for the new people. She ran to the open door, grabbing onto the train and trying to pull herself up. She was weak, however, and almost didn't make it, until two hands shot out and grabbed her arm, pulling her inside. She sat against the wall, catching her breath and smiling at the two people who grabbed her. "Thanks." 

"I'm Jet, and this is my brother, Droy." The orange-haired boy motioned to the boy next to him. They both were grinning at her. They were dressed in black and white. Candor. Amity had a weird rivalry with Candor, but Levy had never paid much attention to it.

"I'm Levy." She said with a laugh. "This is crazy." 

"Yeah." Jet ran a hand through his spiky, messy hair. "Amity, huh? What a change." 

"You could say that about any faction to Dauntless, really." She teased lightly. They chatted on the train ride, which wasn't long. People started jumping off the train onto a roof top. 

"Ladies first." Droy said nervously. Levy rolled her eyes. 

"Together." She held out her hands and they each grabbed one and together, they jumped to the roof top. They made it, landing in a heap. Gravel made its way into her hair and clothes, scratching her up a little. She pushed herself up with a huff, brushing off her dress. She watched as others made it, but one girl almost didn't make it. Two people rushed over, the pink haired boy and the black haired boy, both Dauntless born, and grabbed the girls arms, pulling her up. It was the blonde Erudite girl from before. She seemed shaken up a little, but thankful. 

"Alright, Dauntless initiates!" A strong voice called out. It was an older man, his hair graying. He was rather short, but seemed to command respect. "My name is Makarov, I'm one of the Dauntless leaders here." People started to come closer to where he was standing precariously on the edge. "Your initiation has already begun. To get to the compound, you'll have to jump down there." He motioned below him. Levy peered over the edge with wide eyes, seeing a dark hole going into the ground below. 

"What's down there?" A male voice said with an air of cocky brashness. She glanced back and saw a boy with reddish hair and darker skin. He was dressed in blue. 

"You'll just have to jump and see, won't you?" Makarov grinned. Levy bit her lip, looking down again. 

"Can't believe a pansy cake Amity is here." The same voice muttered from before. She shot a glare his direction. 

"What's your name?" Makarov suddenly asked the boy who kept speaking. 

"Erik." He crossed his arms smugly. 

"If she's such a pansy cake, why don't you jump first?" The older man raised an eyebrow at him. That shut him up. Levy looked back at Jet and Droy before stepping up on the ledge. Makarov gave her a curious look before stepping back and giving her room. She looked down at the dark hole, fear creeping in. 

Without thinking about it any longer, she jumped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This won't be a carbon copy of Divergent I promise. I mean, one of my tags is 'no war' because I'm not doing that. I want to keep some things the same, like big events in initiation, but change is coming. This was just a set up, now we can really begin.


	3. Welcome to Dauntless

Levy didn't scream as she fell. Her only thought was to hold her dress down, to keep it from flying up. Darkness fell once she hit the hole, but she kept falling until she hit something that gave way under her. She felt around blindly, her eyes slowly adjusting. A net. A net had caught her. She laughed, a nervous giggle escaping freely into the air. Two pairs of hands grabbed her and helped her down onto solid ground. She looked up at the two, recognizing one as the boy she had seen yesterday. His red eyes seemed to pierce through her. "What's your name?" A girls voice asked. She turned and found the owner, the other person who pulled her down. 

"Levy." She finally said. The girl raised an eyebrow, turning to the crowd of Dauntless waiting for the initiates to come down. 

"First jumper. Levy!" The small crowd cheered as she was ushered to the side. The second person fell with a girlish scream. Levy caught a glimpse of blonde hair before she was pulled down. Her name was announced as Lucy. She hopped down to where Levy was standing and grinned at her. 

"Hey! My name's Lucy." She stuck out a hand to the former Amity girl. 

"Levy." She shook the girls hand with a smile. Lucy was dressed in comfortable blue jeans and a darker blue shirt. She seemed eager to be here and away from Erudite, leading Levy to wonder what pushed her to leave. 

Jet and Droy were the next to come down, followed by Erik. Erik decided to change his name to 'Cobra', giving that name to the two who were continually pulling people down. The next two were the Dauntless boys she kept seeing. The pink haired boy was called Natsu, and the black haired boy was named Gray. A few others dropped down before finally, everyone was down in the cavern. 

The very air vibrated with excitement. Everyone was chattering until a loud voice told them to be quiet. "Thank you, Gajeel." The girl nodded at her counterpart. "My name is Erza Scarlet. The man next to me is Gajeel. We'll be your instructors, getting you through initiation. Dauntless born, you're with me! Transfers, you're with Gajeel." She nodded her head firmly, making her scarlet red hair swing in its ponytail. She walked away and the Dauntless kids followed her, pushing and teasing each other happily. 

"Alright. Follow me. Gonna show you around a bit." He muttered. They left the cavern with the net, Levy falling in step with Jet and Droy, leaving Cobra to walk alone. Lucy fell in step with two other Candor transfers, a brother and sister pair. The brother seemed pretty strong and would fit in easy here. The girl seemed too sweet for this. The last two transfers were another boy and girl from Erudite, one of which kept looking at Lucy. "This is the Pit." Gajeel's voice startled her and she looked forward, eyes wide in awe. 

The Pit was a massive underground cavern, with narrow paths connecting different places. Shops, apartments, recreational areas. Everything was built into the walls of this... well, Pit. He led them along one of the narrow paths to another path next to a waterfall. "This is the Chasm. There's a fine line between bravery and idiocy. You fall here, you're dead. So don't fall in." He explained shortly, almost boredly. Like he has said this a dozen times, had it ingrained in him. They continued walking until they reached a dining hall. Like Amity, there was a large hall where everyone could eat together at regular meal times. Everyone cheered for the new initiates. 

They went through a line to get food, getting hamburgers and fries and any other manner of good food. Levy looked around, biting her lip. She wasn't sure where to go. Jet and Droy appeared by her side, smiling at her. The three of them walked together to a table and sat down. Lucy sat across from her with a wide grin. "Can you believe this? It's amazing." She laughed, biting into her hamburger. Levy nodded her head slowly, starting to eat as well. 

She looked up in surprise when Gajeel sat at their table as well. A man followed him and sat as well, closer to her and the others. He had very spiky blonde hair and a nasty scar across his face. He had piercings in his ears, as did most Dauntless it seemed. "New intitiates? Hey, I'm Laxus. Dauntless leader. Welcome." He smirked cockily. 

"Leave them alone, Laxass." Gajeel growled out. His comment made the blonde man frown. 

"Alright, whatever, Gajeel." He glanced at the darker haired man before standing and walking away. Levy watched with interest, wondering what the deal with them was.

After dinner was over, Gajeel walked with the initiates with Laxus trailing behind to a closed door. "My name is Laxus, for those of you who don't know. I'm a leader here in Dauntless. I thought I'd lay out some ground rules and let Gajeel here handle the rest of the evening." He paused for a moment, making sure he had everyone's attention. "Make sure you're at training every day. Eight o'clock every morning, with a break for lunch, until six. After six, you can do whatever you want. I don't care. Dauntless born are separate from transfers for the first stage, but you all are ranked together."

"Ranked?" Cobra spoke up, raising an eyebrow. 

"Yes, _ranked._ It'll help determine who gets a job first when initiation is over, and only the top ten will become members." He smirked widely as hushed murmuring moved through the small crowd. "Four will be cut after the first stage. The rest, after the final test. And then? I don't care what the hell you do, just get out of Dauntless." With his words hanging over the air, he pushed open the door. "You chose us. Now we choose you." He turned on his heel and left, his boots making a heavy sound on the floors. 

Everyone shuffled inside quietly. "Alright. Pick a bed. I don't care which. In the morning, someone will bring you black clothes. You can toss your old clothes or keep 'em, I don't really care." Gajeel instructed. "I'll see you in the morning." His red eyes seemed to linger on Levy. She didn't look away. He broke the stare first and walked out. 

Cobra was the first to move, moving to a bed and sitting on it. "Well. Let initiation begin, eh?" He smirked widely and, for some reason, his smirk made her more nervous than Laxus.


	4. And So, We Begin

In front of them stood a row of targets. In front of each target stood an initiate, with a gun in their hand. Levy never thought she'd ever see a gun, much less hold one in her lifetime. It felt heavy and wrong in her hand. She had been raised to believe in peace, in being non-violent. Ironic that she chose the more violent and terrifying faction as her home. "Today, I'll show you how to use a gun and how to win a fight." Gajeel's loud, booming voice broke through her mind, which was still somewhat hazy with sleep. She pulled on the bottom edge of her black tank top, a nervous habit she had picked up when she was much younger. The black felt foreign to her as well, having grown up with earthly colors. 

"Why do we need to know how to use a gun?" Lucy spoke up. Levy knew that wouldn't go over well with Gajeel. His red eyes snapped to the blonde girl and he marched over with a glare. 

"Because you do. Welcome to Dauntless, bunny girl." He growled out. "We believe in bravery, and preparation keeps you from being a coward." He sounded like he was reading from a script. Something that had been ingrained in him during his own initiation, something he was forced to learn to be an instructor. "Initiation is in theee stages. Physical, emotional, and mental. This is part of stage one. Since I'm sure none of you actually know how to use a gun, watch me." He turned to the targets, a gun in his hand, and fired easily. The bullet hit near the center of the target. He turned back to the initiates, all of whom seemed nervous. He let a small grin form as he watched them. "I've done this a lot longer than you. Here's how you'll learn, and once you're more comfortable you won't have to always stand like this." He turned again to the targets, his feet spread apart comfortably. About shoulder width. He held the gun in front of him with both hands, arms not bent but not locked in place straight. He pulled the trigger and the gunshot rang in the quiet air. 

Knowing what they had to do, the others started to fire at their own targets. Gajeel paced behind them, back and forth, watching. He occasionally would adjust someone's stance, arms, manner of holding the gun, but mostly he just watched. Levy frowned, standing like he showed, and raising the gun. She pulled the trigger and flinched at the sound and recoil. It made her bullet miss the target entirely. She tried again, and again, but missed each time. The gun was scaring her, which didn't help her ability at all. She needed a mindset of not being afraid of it. _It's just a thing. It's just a tool. I'm in control of it._

"You know, you and I are very similar. We're both weak. I'm taller, however." The blonde girl, Lucy, smiled at Levy. The former Amity girl noticed Lucy had already hit the target a few times. This renewed her determination to hit her own target. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and fired. Her hands flew back, but she held her ground. Her bullet hit one of the outer rings and she grinned excitedly. 

"About time, shrimp." Gajeel's gruff voice came from behind her. She shot him a small glare that wilted under his much-more-menacing glare. He kept walking past her and she rolled her eyes. 

"I'd just ignore him." Lucy advised, turning back to her own target and firing again. Levy returned to her task at hand as well, hitting the target more often now. She even managed to hit the center a couple of times, which made her feel exhilarated. 

They shot guns until the lunch break. Levy's arms were sore and her fingers ached. She felt good, though. Jet and Droy found her and walked with her to the dining hall. Lucy joined them, chattering with Levy. She felt like she had made a friend in the two former Candors and Erudite girl. They sat together after they grabbed their lunch, eating and chatting. "So Lucy. I saw you fall when we reached the compound. Those boys who pulled you up, do you know them?" Jet asked. 

Lucy gave him a look, one that was sour. "They're Dauntless born, but we talked a little on the train." She said shortly. 

"Jet. I think that was rude." Droy whispered. "Sorry. We both were raised to speak our minds." He apologized for his brother. 

"Its fine." Lucy waved her hand, her attention turned to Levy. "I'm surprised you're buddy-buddy with these two." 

"Why?" Levy asked, startled. 

"Because. They used to be Candor. You used to be Amity." Lucy paused. Levy just stared blankly. The blonde girl let out an exasperated sigh. "Candor and Amity have this weird rivalry. Something about people who want peace will deceive others to keep things calm." 

"Oh." Right. The feud Levy never really paid much attention to. Amity didn't really hate Candor. Hate wasn't in their vocabulary anyways. It was Candor who had the real problem. 

"That feud is stupid." Jet declared. "Besides, we're Dauntless now. It doesn't matter who we were." His words made Levy smile a little. The rest of lunch passed peacefully, with happy chatter between fast forming friends.

* * *

It was after lunch things got interesting. Gajeel lead everyone to a new room. The floor was wood, cracked and worn in many places. A large circle was painted in red on the floor, towards the center. Off to a corner was a chalkboard on an easel, and on the chalkboard was their names, in alphabetical order. Levy noticed Lucy's last name, her eyes widening a little. Lucy pretended not to notice at all, keeping her head held high. On the other side of the room, hanging from the ceiling, were black punching bags, some patched up heavily and others seemingly new. 

"Line up behind the punching bags!" Gajeel said sternly. Everyone scrambled to do what he said. "Like I said before, I'll be teaching you how to fight. Today you'll learn technique and tomorrow you'll spar with the others. I'll show you some choice punches, kicks, and other moves, then you practice." He demonstrated some punches and kicks and Levy watched all of it with extreme interest. She wanted to absorb all the information she could, so she could prove herself. After he was done teaching, he told everyone to practice. The sound of repeatedly hitting the tough fabric filled the air. Levy faced the punching bag, hating her small size even more than ever before. Hitting the bag hurt her hands, made her feel more weak. She was hardly moving it. 

Gajeel made his rounds, like when they practiced with guns. He paused in front of her, watching her pathetic attempts at practicing what he showed her. "You're tiny as hell. It means you have better chance with speed. Dodge attacks, tire your opponent out, then attack. When you do, use your elbows and knees." He grabbed her elbow suddenly, surprising her. "Sharp bone. Put more power here, since you don't have much muscle." He showed her on the bag with his own elbow, then nodded for her to try. She did so, finding it was easier and felt better. 

"Thanks." She mumbled. He made her nervous, gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what to make of it, or him. He nodded curtly and moved on, walking through the room and watching, offering a tip here and there, though his eyes lingered on Levy more than a few times. This continued throughout the rest of the training day, until they were dismissed for dinner and whatever else they wanted to do. 

"Gajeel scares the hell out of me. It's his eyes. They're so angry looking, all the time." Lucy said casually as they walked towards the Pit. Levy bit her lip to keep herself from asking about Lucy's name and what it obviously meant, deciding to leave it alone for now. 

"He's... intimidating." She admitted. They passed a hair stylist and Levy watched as people walked out with strangely colored hair. An idea struck her and she grabbed Lucy's arm. "I want to cut my hair. And dye it." She said suddenly. It caught the attention of Jet and Droy as well. 

"Are you sure?" Lucy raised an eyebrow, her eyes draw to her long, brown hair. 

"Yes." She said firmly, marching into the hair salon. Dauntless were given a certain amount of points a month to spend, more if you had a job, so she knew she could pay for this. Her three friends followed her, watching with a strange curiousity. 

"Hey hey, how can I help you?" A tan man with strangely styled brown hair asked. He was wearing sunglasses for some reason. 

"Hi. I want to cut my hair short. And dye it." Levy said, a little shyer this time. 

"Alright alright. Have a seat." He motioned to an empty chair. She sat, a little nervous but excited. "What were you thinking about?" 

"Shoulder length, wavy, and... sky blue." 

The man nodded, combing out her hair before he started to cut it. As her hair fell, she felt... free. It was cut short, then covered in dye and left alone to soak in correctly. Once it was all done, he removed the foil and spun her around to look in the mirror. She couldn't believe who looked back at her. Sky blue hair framed her face, shorter and wavy. It brought out her golden eyes beautifully. She loved it. "Thank you, this is amazing!" She exclaimed. The man nodded, pleased with another job well done. 

She bounced out of the salon, absolutely brimming with excitement and happiness. Her small group of friends agreed it was lovely and worked well for her. She decided she would keep it. Lucy dragged her off to go clothes shopping before they turned in for the night. For once, Levy felt like she could make it in Dauntless. She felt at home here.


	5. How To Fight

"There's an odd number of you, so one of you won't be fighting today." Gajeel announced the next morning in the training room. His piercing eyes met Levy's as he motioned to the board. The space next to her name was blank. His eyes travelled to her newly colored hair and she couldn't help a tiny smirk at his interest in her hair. "First in the ring: Jet and Droy." He waved them over. "You fight until one of you can't continue, or one of you concedes." He explained boredly. 

"According to the old rules, but the new rules? The ones we all should be following? No one concedes." Laxus' voice startled Levy slightly. She didn't even realize he was in the room, though now she saw him, standing to the side. Jet and Droy looked at each other nervously. They didn't want to fight each other. They were brothers, after all. "Go on!" Laxus barked, startling them into action. The two boys made their way inside the circle painted onto the floor, holding their fists up to protect their faces. Jet looked apologetic. He was fast, faster than most, but Droy was a bigger build. Droy made the first swing at Jet, but his speed proved useful as he ducked out of the way quickly. Levy watched worriedly, until Lucy nudged her arm. 

"Cobra and Angel keep staring at us." She muttered. "I hate them. They're both evil." 

"Why?" Levy asked, her eyes not straying from Jet and Droy. She was only mildly interested in the gossip. 

"Well, Cobra and I have known each other for ages. He likes to pick fights with people from other factions. He's the worst. I don't know Angel much but she seems to follow him while having her own mind." Her eyes drifted to the board and groaned. "And of course, I'm up against her." Levy winced when Droy landed a rough hit on Jet's side. "Wish me luck." She nudged Levy's side with her elbow, bringing her attention more fully to Lucy. 

"Right, yeah, good luck." She sounded distracted, looking back quickly to the fight when she heard an almighty groan. Jet was splayed on the ground. He seemed barely conscious. 

"Get him out of here." Laxus sighed boredly. Droy lifted his brother up, muttering constant apologizes. Gajeel came over, offering to take him to the clinic. Droy shook his head. Levy couldn't hear their conversation, but from what she could see Gajeel was telling him how to get there. "Who's next?" 

Gajeel circled Droy's name on the board and read off the next pairing. "Lucy and Angel." He yanked his head towards the ring. The two girls took their position and Levy noticed Angel had angel wing tattoos peeking out of her shirt. Tattoos already? Well, she didn't have much room to talk. She dyed her hair. Lucy flashed her a thumbs up, which the bluenette returned, and the fight began. 

Lucy slammed her foot into Angel first, gaining the upperhand quickly. However, Angel didn't give in yet. She threw punches and kicks and Lucy continued to dodge and slip around her, until she was grabbed by her hair and slammed to the ground. Levy gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Droy reappeared then, standing by her side. She barely noticed as Gajeel talked to someone else and left the room. Lucy screeched from her position on the ground, thrashing about. Angel was merciless in her attack. Blood started to stain her hair and her face. "Stop, stop!" Lucy yelled. Angel hit her once more before stopping.

"What did you say?" Laxus growled, coming forward. Lucy pushed herself into a sitting position, staring at the taller man. 

"She said stop." Levy stepped forward, drawing the attention to her instead. "That's reasonable, look at her! She's bleeding, she can't even get up."

"Get up." He snapped at Lucy, his steely gaze still fixed on Levy. "And follow me."

* * *

The roar of the chasm fills Levy's ears. "You will hang from here for five minutes, and I will forget your cowardice. And _you_ ," Laxus turned his attention to Levy. "I'll make sure you fight first tomorrow, but for now you will also hang here, with your little friend. See how loyal you are. You can give in and be pulled up at any moment, no repercussions. But will your loyalty stick with her the whole time?" He sneered, motioning to the railing that separated the chasm and the walkway. It was one of the few places with a railing in the Pit. Lucy wiped her hands off on her pants, drying them of blood and sweat and swung her legs over the railing. She looked down, fear crossing her face. Levy climbed over with her, struggling a little since she was shorter than Lucy. She gave her friend a reassuring smile. 

"I'll be here the whole time." She promised. Her loyalty _would_ be proven. Laxus was just an asshole. Lucy turned and grabbed the railing and let her feet drop. Levy did the same, a little bit away from her. They were fine for the first minute or so, until a crashing wave hit the wall and wet the railing. Lucy's face hit the railing, making her cry out as her face was already injured. Levy's grip faltered a little, but she held on. Droy bit his lip worriedly, wondering where Gajeel could be. Surely he wouldn't let this just happen, right? 

Three minutes. Lucy's grip remained strong, but her arms began to shake. Levy's grip was slipping. Her arms were weak, she was likely the weakest one in the initiates, and fear creeped into her. Four minutes in, and Droy was quietly cheering them on. It filled both of them with the thought that they could do it, but Levy was hanging by fingertips and shaking arms. She didn't think she would make it. 

After five minutes, Droy said it had been five minutes. Laxus lazily checked his watch and said they could come up. Droy helped Lucy first, since she was injured, but Levy felt cold shoot through her arms her grip slipped off the railing. A hand shot down and grabbed her arm before she could fall more than a few inches and yanked her up. She gripped the railing for dear life as Droy and Lucy pulled her to the safe side. She almost collapsed on the ground. She looked to see who had saved her and saw Gajeel standing there, furious. "Laxus. A word." He snapped out, his tone filled with rage. The man shrugged and the two left the chasm. 

"Let's go, guys. I think training is over now anyways." Droy muttered quietly to his two friends. Levy nodded, walking away with him and helping Lucy along. _So this is Dauntless. Did I make a mistake?_


	6. Knocked Down

The next day did not go better than the day before. 

Lucy's face was bruised to hell and she had a bit of a limp, but she put on a brave face. Dauntless, after all. Jet had returned, sporting a few bruises himself. He teased his brother about it, joking how his little brother finally stood up for himself. It's all in good humor until they reach the training room and saw the board. 

"I have to beat up one of my friends too?" Droy groaned. He didn't want to hurt Lucy, not after yesterday, but that's who he was paired with. It was nothing compared to who Levy was against. 

"They can't really expect you to fight him. Can they?" Lucy mumbled to her. Cobra was written neatly next to her name. 

"I..." she trailed off. _"Dodge attacks, tire out your opponent. Sharp bone. Put more power here."_

Cobra took his spot in the ring, his narrow eyes watching her, like a... well. A cobra waiting to pounce. Levy looked at her friends nervously. "Take a few hits and go down. Just fake it. No one would blame you." Jet said quietly. She couldn't afford to be ranked last, though. She just couldn't. She pushed her blue hair out of her eyes with a black headband she had gotten the other day and stepped into the ring as well. Cobra smirked. 

"This should be easy." He muttered. Levy's eyes darted around. She saw Gajeel, watching with narrowed eyes. The memory of him saving her yesterday flooded her minds eye. She shoved the thought to the back of her mind, rather forcefully. Laxus was next to him, looking bored as he messed with a new piercing in his brow. A tiny metal ring. His piercings didn't fit him like they fit Gajeel. 

"Let's go!" Laxus shouted suddenly, bringing her back to the present. Cobra swung with a powerful kick to her side and she dodged, slightly thankful she was so much smaller than him. She slipped under his arm and behind him, bringing up her foot to kick him in the back. He turned so suddenly it nearly knocked her back. He grabbed her foot and twisted it, making her gasp. He yanked up, making her face smack into the ground. She groaned, pushing herself up. _Can't stay down, can't stay down._

She stood, a little shaky. She slammed her elbow into his side, making him groan this time. She felt herself smile a little at her tiny victory, but it didn't last long at all. She felt her legs being swept out from under her and she fell again, the back of her head hitting the ground hard this time. She felt a punch to her face and her vision swam in her right eye. She winced, and wanted to tell him to stop, but she couldn't. Laxus was there. She couldn't. She pushed herself up but only got to a sitting position before she was kicked again and knocked sideways. Gajeel was no longer there. 

"Stop it!" Lucy yelled. Levy wanted it to stop to. A lot of things were spinning and she didn't know why. She felt another sharp hit to the side of her head, and then nothing.

* * *

She woke in a strange room. She tried to sit up, but her chest hurt. Her eye hurt. She could only open one eye. Next to her bed was Lucy. "Hey! You're awake. Jet and Droy were here, but they left just a few minutes ago to see about dinner. How're you feeling?" 

"Sore." Levy lied. Only a little. She was, in fact, very sore, but she was also in a lot of pain. She didn't want to reveal that, though. 

"Don't worry about Cobra. He'll get his lights knocked out eventually in this stage." Lucy smiled reassuringly. "So, Laxus said we're going to the fence tomorrow to learn about Dauntless jobs reguarding the fence. Gotta be at the train tracks tomorrow at eight fifteen." She paused. "Are you in any shape to get up?" 

Levy pushed herself up again and, with Lucy's help, she sat up. "I don't know if I can go much further than this." She admitted, hating herself for being weak. 

"Not a problem." Lucy grinned. "I figured you wouldn't be able to manage getting up and walking down to dinner, with how crazy the Pit can be, so..." she stood and went to the door, motioning for someone to come in. Jet and Droy walked in then, carrying plates of food. "I did send them to check on dinner, and asked them if dinner had already started to bring us food." She took two plates of food and handed one to Levy, keeping the other for herself. She sat down in the chair she was sitting in again while the two boys sat on the bed next to Levy. "Who needs a whole loud dining hall?" 

Levy couldn't help the small bubble of laughter that escaped her then. She felt lucky to have such good friends. "What happened after my fight?" 

"Well," Droy started, "I beat up Lucy." He threw her a sorry look and she shrugged it off. 

"And I got my ass handed to me by Elfman." He winced a little. 

"Elfman?" Levy frowned a little. 

"He's the brother of that other girl, Mirajane. Really strong, really tall." Lucy explained. Levy nodded, knowing who they were talking about now. 

"Cobra was very smug about his total victory, until Gajeel scared some sense into him." Jet laughed. 

"He left during my fight, though." She muttered. 

"Yeah, but he came back towards the end. He seemed more angry than usual." Jet shrugged, brushing off the topic as weird and bringing up a new topic. "Do you think our families will come on visiting day?" 

Levy grew quiet. She wasn't sure. Her family was kind and understanding. They were Amity, after all. Did they see her as a betrayer, though? She had no idea what to expect. "I know mine won't." Lucy quipped. Jet and Droy both threw her an odd look. 

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you... about your name?" Jet started to say, but Lucy held up a hand. 

"That is a topic for later and not one I wish to discuss, but I'll talk about it eventually. Probably." The blonde stated firmly. "New topic: I want to get a tattoo." 

"Really?" Levy was interested now. She had thought about getting a tattoo herself. "If you do,  
I'll go with you. I... kinda want one myself." She admitted shyly. 

"Alright, flower child." Jet nodded approvingly. "Shedding that last bit of Dauntless virginity." His comment made all of them laugh, including Levy, even though her ribs felt like they were on fire. The small group of friends finished eating and laughing together until it was later in the evening. 

"I think we're going to go back to the dorms and go to bed. Are you going to as well?" Lucy asked kindly. 

Levy nodded firmly. "Like hell I'm gonna let him stick me in here overnight." She muttered darkly. "I might need a little help, though." She added, a little embarrassed. Jet and Droy each grabbed an arm and pulled her up gently, so she was standing on her own two feet. Lucy put one arm around her shoulders and helped walk her back to the dorms. Jet was too tall to do much good, so Droy helped on her other side. They didn't make her appear helpless and weak, just offered support if she needed it. She really appreciated the kindness and understanding of her friends. It was things like this that made her feel like she would survive in Dauntless.


	7. I Am Dauntless

Levy woke with a start, the edges of a bad dream leaving her with a strange feeling in her gut. Lucy was looking down at her, her brown eyes filled with concern. "You seemed to be having a bad dream... anyways, we have maybe twenty minutes to be at the tracks. I'll go get muffins or something, you get ready." She smiled a little, trying to reassure the smaller girl that everything was fine. Levy groaned as she sat up. Everything hurt, and not in any pleasant way. She yanked on some black pants and a black t-shirt, ruffling her blue waves a little. She paused to glance in a mirror, shocking herself with her own bruised eye and fading injuries. She didn't look like an Amity girl anymore. 

She walked back to her bunk and sat, trying and failing to bend over and tie her shoes. Lucy came back then, handing her a chocolate muffin and kneeling to help her. Levy only smiled her thanks. "Let's go." Lucy nodded towards the door and the two girls hurried out, each munching on their respective muffins. Running hurts, but the bluenette tried to keep up with Lucy and her long legs. They reached the train tracks to find almost everyone standing around. Jet and Droy waved them over, closer to the tracks. 

"Hey! About time. You guys almost didn't make it!" Jet grinned, slicking a hand through his hair. Gajeel was glaring at all the initiates, his red eyes scanning the crowd and mentally counting to make sure everyone was present. His hair flew back in the wind. His back was so close to the tracks, Levy had a mental image of the train taking his hair with it when it came by. It made her giggle, which drew his eyes to her. She stopped quickly, staring back at him. She refused to back down from the challenge in his eyes. He seemed to scoff at her and turned around, facing the tracks now. 

"Ah, the fairy rises." Cobra sneered at Levy. She rolled her eyes, ignoring his commentary and staying close to her friends. They would defend her. She felt stupid and weak, but right now she needed that support from her friends. 

The train arrived. Gajeel stepped back so others could get on before he grabbed the handle and swung himself inside with a practiced ease. Jet and Lucy jumped in next, with some difficulty as they were still getting used to it. Levy wasn't sure if she would make it as she jogged to keep up. She was surprised when Droy helped push her inside and Lucy pulled her up once she was mostly inside. "Feelin' alright, pansycake?" Cobra snickered. 

"Just fine, thank you." Levy snapped back. 

"Amazing insults. Are you sure you don't belong where you came from? Sissies are allowed there, you know." Lucy nodded knowingly, seeming completely serious. It made the other three smile. 

"Shut the hell up with the bickering." Gajeel snapped over his shoulder. He leaned against the wall, mostly in the opening, watching the landscape go by. Everyone strained to see the outskirts of the city, except Levy. Growing up in Amity, she had seen the fence a few times. She worked some of the farms just outside it, she knew the outer edges fairly well. Amity was located further from the city than most other factions anyways. 

"What do you think is past the farms?" Lucy asked. Her old Erudite was shining through, always seeking knowledge. 

"Farms." Levy answered easily. This drew the attention of the two boys as well. "What? I used to work some of them. A lot of this area isn't new to me." She shrugged, a little proud of her knowledge. 

"Past those, though." Lucy sighed, a wistful look in her eyes. "What are we guarding the city from? Or... are we keeping everyone _in?_ " 

"Lucy, asking the hardhitting questions." Jet teased. He almost said her last name too, but caught himself. Still not something she was willing to share with everyone. 

The train slowed down, making Levy sway a little. It was coming to a complete stop, which was different than usual, but she wasn't complaining. Not with her injuries and soreness. Everyone climbed out, Gajeel leading the way. The small group of four stayed in the middle, while Cobra and his ensemble trailed behind everyone. Levy found herself between Jet and Lucy, with Droy slightly behind Jet. Like they were protecting her. She felt grateful, but a pang of selfhate shot through her. She should be getting better, not hiding. Not seeking protection. She was Dauntless now, after all!

They walked towards the fence until Gajeel stopped by a huge gate. "The fence. If you don't rank in the top five, you'll end up here. Probably. There's some advancement, but not much. Maybe you'll get to go out to the farms-" 

"What are we protecting the city from?" A kind voice spoke up, interrupting him. It was Mirajane, standing near her brother. She seemed kind and sweet. Too sweet to be in Dauntless. Gajeel narrowed his eyes at her, not happy he was interrupted. 

"I don't know, I'm not a fence guard." He growled out. "Maybe if you're one, you'll find out." 

"What rank were you?" Cobra said from the back, raising an eyebrow. He seemed unafraid of Gajeel, always challenging him. 

Gajeel surprised everyone by actually answering. "I was first." 

"And you do this?" Cobra seemed shocked. In all honestly, Levy was surprised too. "What about a government job? Or being a leader?" 

"I didn't want one. Didn't care to run things or sit behind a desk. Still don't want one. I like what I do." 

"What do you do when you're not training initiates?" Mirajane again, always so kind and calm and softspoken. Levy didn't think she would make it through the first stage. 

"Anything. I like to work with metal so I'll work in the tattoo shop, doing piercings, or I'll fix things, or I'll make weaponry." He shrugged the question off easily. Levy remembered learning about faction jobs in school. Dauntless could either guard the fence or work security for the city. They could also work shops in the compound, or fight each other for other entertainment. That seemed like something Gajeel would do sometimes. The other option was to work for or as a Dauntless leader. She didn't know what she would want to do, or what she would even be good at. 

The gate opened, letting a truck through. It held apples, from an Amity orchard, and some Amity people. She hoped no one would really recognize her. Perhaps her hair would help hide her identity. 

No one spoke to her from the truck, but she did get some odd looks. One of the girls she recognized, but a name was escaping her. That girl's eyes widened at the site of Levy, leaning over to whisper to another Amity girl. She felt her cheeks warm and turned her back to the truck. "Are you alright?" Lucy asked quietly. 

"Yeah. Just... yeah." Levy shook her head, making her blue locks shake around her face. Gajeel wandered over to the little group, his eyes glaring at the others. They took the hint and walked a few steps away, though Jet kept looking back at her. 

"You didn't react to the Amity people." He said bluntly. 

"Should I?" 

"They could have been your friends." He shrugged. 

"Well. I'm Dauntless now." She snapped, a little more than she meant to. His eyes narrowed, before zeroing in on her bruised face. 

"If you attack first, you could win. Get a few good hits in before anyone knows what's going on. You're tiny, and with that comes speed." He said shortly. His gaze moved above her head and he shouted at everyone that it was time to go.

* * *

"What do you think you'll get?" Levy asked Lucy. It was evening, dinner was over. They were standing in a tattoo shop, looking over designs. A couple Dauntless born initiates are in there as well. Namely, the pink haired boy. Natsu, if Levy could remember correctly. He was looking at different flame designs. 

"I dunno." Her gaze flickered up to Natsu, who was staring at her. He grinned widely, making Lucy look down again. The entire silent exchange made Levy laugh. "I was thinking something to do with the Zodiac?" 

"The Zodiac?" Levy tilted her head a little. 

"Ah, it has to do with the stars. Each person has a Zodiac, depending on when they were born. There's twelve." She explained briefly. She found a design of them she liked. They were in a circle, leaving the center open. They were all connected as well, making it seem like they were connected by stars. "This one! Except... one thing." She asked for some paper and a pen and sketched an odd looking bird symbol. Levy wasn't sure how to describe it. The head was just above a line that could have been its feet, maybe, and tail feathers on the back end. It was very simplistic, not overly designed or anything. She took the Zodiac wheel and her weird bird to the counter and explained shortly what she wanted. They nodded and she was lead to the back. Levy followed her, per her request. 

"Alright. So where do you want this?" The tattooed woman asked her once Lucy sat down. With little hesitation, Lucy pulled off her shirt. 

"Between my shoulder blades." She explained. "Just... upper back." Levy frowned, a little confused as to where this bird came into play. She sat with Lucy, keeping her occupied as she got tattooed. She talked about a lot of trivial things, like things about Dauntless she noticed, things about Amity not everyone knew. Lucy would try and talk back, but her words were always choked with curses from pain. 

Once the tattoo was finished, Levy got a good look at it. It was the Zodiac wheel, like she had chosen, with her strange bird in the center. "Wow. Luce, where did the bird come from?" She asked, eyes wide. 

"Something I used to doodle in my notes." She grinned. "It was something my mom used to doodle too, I think I picked it up from her." She slipped her shirt back on, wincing a little. "Now. You!" 

Levy didn't know what she wanted. She looked through the books, but nothing truly stood out to her. She didn't have any outstanding interests. Just books, and her friends. She really liked the bird Lucy had gotten, and got an idea for herself. She whispered her idea to Lucy, who made a few quick edits to the bird drawing. "Excuse me? I'd like this please. On my shoulder blade, the right one." She held up the drawing. It was the same bird symbol, but now it was wrapped in vines and leaves and nature. It reminded her of home. "The bird will be black and the vines and such green." She was taken to the back, like Lucy, but Levy had more qualms about removing her shirt so casually. Lucy stood in front of her, sending glares towards any guys who dared look their direction as Levy took off her shirt and laid down to be tattooed. 

The girls left together later, chatting excitedly. They had somewhat matching tattoos, bonding them even more so. They linked arms with a laugh, excited to tell the boys about their tattoos. Levy realized why she liked Dauntless so much: t was free, and the feeling she got when she felt the freedom was unlike anything else.


	8. Strategize!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for my short absense the past few days. I have a job and I'm finishing my last year of high school, so I'm trying to focus on finishing big and well. I'll try to update at least once a week, but I won't make more promises than that as I'm not known to keep them very well.

It had been a couple days since Levy fought Cobra. Her tattoo was still a bit fresh and a touch tender, but Lucy's was more so since hers was more elaborate. The boys loved the idea of matching tattoos and played with the idea of joining them with those, but hadn't gotten any tattoos yet. Her injuries were mostly healed, leaving behind bruising and general soreness that was likely to stick with her for a while. She had to fight today, but her opponent was Mirajane. She was a surprisingly good fighter, but seemed to go easy on her. There was a power hidden in Mirajane that hadn't shown itself yet. The kindness of her pushed past her want to be highly ranked. She saw how hard it was for Levy to move easily and fluidly. The bluenette didn't like the idea of someone going so easy on her, but pushed past the thought. She was _exhausted_. 

She climbed into her mattress, in sleep shorts and a bigger t-shirt, ready to sleep. Her head hit the pillow, just as the door was slammed open. People swarmed in, carrying flashlights. "Everyone up!" A demanding voice shouted. It wasn't Gajeel, though he was in the group, she could see. It was Laxus. Levy sat up, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and squinting into the lights. Lucy stood, arms crossed and glaring down the Dauntless leader. She wasn't wearing any pants. Levy thought she was rather bold for that move. "You have five minutes to get dressed and get to the tracks. Let's go!" He shouted again before leaving. Everyone scrambled to get dressed. Levy changed into longer pants, that went just past her knees, so she was a bit warmer for going outside at night, but she wouldn't overheat with whatever activity they had planned. These pants were a touch too tight on her, but Lucy had insisted on them and she gave in. She threw on a jacket over her t-shirt, grabbing some new fingerless gloves she bought recently, and shoved her feet into her shoes. 

"Let's go, Lev!" Lucy grinned madly and sprinted out the door. Levy was not far behind. They were running, through the Pit and up the stairs to where the tracks were. She noticed other people with them. Dauntless born. She glanced around, wondering what was going on, until she saw a pile of guns and a crate labeled 'Paintballs' next to it. 

"Grab a gun and a box of ammo." Laxus demanded. Everyone scrambled to get one. Levy was tiny, so she slipped through the people easily. The gun was heavier than what she had practiced with before, but not so much that she couldn't lift it. She stuck a box of the paintballs in her pocket before standing back. The sound of a train coming made her look to the side. 

"Paintball, eh? Wonder what they've got planned." Jet's eyes were wild with energy. While minutes ago Levy felt dead on her feet, now she felt energy buzz through her. Like everyone else, it seemed. As the train came past them, Gajeel was the first one in. Levy ran after the train, Jet, Droy, and Lucy following her. Gajeel turned and reflexively held out a hand to help whoever was behind him. She gripped his arm as he lifted her like she weighed little more than a sack of flour. He seemed a little surprised that it was her he grabbed, not letting go for a moment. She's the one who breaks the contact, moving to sit against a wall. Her friends joined her quickly. Once everyone was inside, Laxus and Gajeel stood in front of everyone. 

"Alright. We'll divide into two teams, for capture the flag. Each team will have an equal mix of Dauntless born and transfers. The first team will get off and hide their flags, then the second will do the same. This is tradition, so take it seriously." Gajeel's red eyes scanned the slightly restless group before him.

"Let's divide up the transfers first, eh?" Laxus grinned. 

"Fine. You can go first." He responded smoothly. 

"I pick Elfman." Big surprise there. 

Gajeel's eyes scanned the crowd again, landing on Levy. She stared back, not backing down from him. "I'll take the shrimp." She was surprised by his choice. She was also irritated by his nickname for her. 

"Interesting choice... looking to lose?" Laxus sneered. "Cobra!" 

"Lucy." 

Laxus glanced at Gajeel for a moment. "Angel."

"Jet." 

The blonde leader sighed. "Droy." 

"Loke." Gajeel looked bored.

"That leaves Mirajane with me." Laxus nodded. "Dauntless born next."

Levy tuned out the conversation now, looking to her friends. She felt bad that Droy was being pulled into Cobra and Angel, seeing as how they were absolutely terrible people. She tried to figure out what Gajeel's strategy could possibly be. She was small, weak. Her only benefit is that she was fast, and she was smaller so she was less likely to be seen. Everyone else on the team that she knew were also faster people. Narrow. All taller, though, except for her. She tuned back into the conversation when it was decided that Gajeel and his team would get off first. She stood up, Lucy and Jet behind her, and jumped off the train onto solid ground. She stumbled a little, nearly falling over, but managed to stay on her feet. She felt triumphant with her tiny victory. 

"When your team won, where did you put the flag?" A Dauntless born asked. Gray, if she remembered right. 

"Why would I tell you that? We're gonna pick our own damn place." Gajeel growled out. 

"The pier. A friend told me they put it at the carousel." Natsu grinned widely as Gajeel just rolled his eyes. 

"Why don't we put it there then?" Jet suggested with a shrug.

"Sounds good to me." Lucy nodded, glancing at Natsu. He flashed her a wide grin, making her smile and look away. They started hiking towards the pier, looking for the best place to hide it in the abandoned place.

The buildings were broken down and not in use anymore, crumbling and falling apart around them. Gray and Natsu quickly bickered back and forth as they walked until Gajeel growled at them to knock it off. Past the buildings was the marsh, which had a line of empty buildings along it. The pier. It also had a Ferris Wheel, long out of use and order. "We're close to the Erudite headquarters, right?" Jet asked curiously. 

"Yep." Lucy's tone was short, clipped. Her smile was tight. Something about Erudite drove her to get away, it was obvious. She hated to talk about her old faction or anything to do with it. Levy gave her a soft smile, reassuring her friend that whatever she had left behind was just that: behind them. 

There was a carousel at the end of the pier. Everyone stopped when they reached it, deciding to hide the flag here. "We should have some people stay here and guard the flag. The others can scout out the other team." Lucy spoke up first. 

"Or, we can wait around and have everyone come to us. Pick them off, then take the flag." Gray spoke up, snatching the flag out of Gajeel's hand. 

"Don't be a sissy!" Natsu grabbed the flag and held it up in the air. "We should hide this well enough they can't find it, then go after them!" 

That started the argument. Jet defended Lucy, the Dauntless born defend the offense idea-even Gray, who's initial idea was defensive-and everyone else just yelled about who should make the decision. Levy watched as Gajeel separated himself from the shouting initiates. He looked mildly frustrated, sighing as he leaned against the carousel and scanned the land in front of him. The bluenette took a moment to think.

They needed to get the flag from the others without their flag being taken. To do this, they would first need to _find_ the flag. To find the flag, they would have to look around, but that could take ages. No one seemed willing to stay with the flag, except maybe some transfers. "We need higher ground." Levy realized with a quiet mumble. 

"Yep. You can look around from up there." Lucy spoke up next to her ear, startling her. She was pointing at the Ferris wheel. "You could even hide the flag there. No one in their right mind would go up there." 

"Why don't you do it then? It's your idea." Levy raised an eyebrow as her friend turned sheepish. 

"I'm Dauntless now. I'm brave... but I still have some fears. Like heights from a creaky, questionable structure that would likely crumble if I touched it." Lucy admitted. "I'll help you get their attention to hide the flag. Cause they're never gonna quit yelling." Lucy turned and shouted at the shouting group of initiates. "Listen up! We can still strategize down here, but Levy is going to hide the flag on the Ferris wheel. Up high, where it would take someone a while to get to it, assuming they're willing to risk it." She snatched the flag out of Natsu's hand. He looked dumbfounded and stunned. Lucy handed the flag to Levy with a smirk and wink. "Now. Let's calmly talk strategy." 

Levy turned as the conversation got started again, walking towards the Ferris wheel. Her gun was slung across her back, the small flag in her hand. She reached the wheel and looked up, feeling a lump of nervousness in her throat. It was a lot taller and more imposing than she would have thought. At least there was a ladder. With a final look behind her at everyone standing by the carousel, she stuck the flag in her back pocket and grabbed the first rung, starting to climb.


	9. Capturing the Flag

"Shrimp." Gajeel's voice startled her, nearly making her fall. She was only one rung off the ground so she wouldn't have been hurt, but he still shouldn't have done that. 

"Gajeel." She said evenly, not looking back. 

"Hiding the flag up high?" 

"And looking for the other flag." She told him quietly. She started to climb when he spoke again. 

"I'm coming with you, then." He shrugged. It made her pause for a moment before she started to climb. Once she was a few rungs above him, he started to climb after her. She tried to ignore him, until he started speaking. "I know I'm a shit instructor. I teach the technique of it all, but I'm not great with the theory bit. I learn better doing, not listening, and it seems like you do too. But I'll try the theory bit anyways. What does this game teach you?" 

This made her think, slowing her movements a little. "Teamwork? And strategy. And more practice with a gun." She added with a tiny laugh. They were about halfway up, and the height was starting to get to her. She never thought about being afraid of heights. The Dauntless compound didn't scare her. The chasm made her nervous, but she doesn't get too close and she's fine. This, however, this was different. This was higher, it seemed, and much more dangerous. The entire structure could collapse and that would be it. She would be dead, a splat on the concrete. The thought made her clench the bars tighter. 

"Teamwork. Sure. And to loop it all back to what Dauntless means, how does this connect to bravery?" He asked. He sounded bored, like the height was nothing and like he hated having to talk to her. Or maybe just hated having to talk about this? 

"It prepares you. Helps you focus mentally." She paused. "Or... something like that." A strong wind was blowing now. It nearly blew her sideways, but a steady hand pushed her back onto the rungs carefully. She swallowed hard as she reached a platform and climbed up on it. She scooted towards a metal support and leaned against it, breathing slowly to calm her nerves. 

"Are you afraid of heights?" Gajeel asked, an amused glint in his red eyes. He was sitting on the platform, watching her. She felt like the very air was crackling with electricity. It made it hard to breathe, added onto her fear. Why did it feel like this? 

"I didn't realize I was until now." She admitted quietly. She stared at him for a moment and he stared back. _It's him. He's the reason I feel weird._

"Well." He held out his hand and it took her a moment to realize he was asking for the flag. She pulled it out of her back pocket and handed it to him. He was taller than her, by quite a bit, so he stood up and wedged the flag in the scaffolding of the wheel. He turned and looked out across the city. "Come here." He glanced back at her and she swallowed hard again. _He will not let me fall._

She stood on shaky legs and walked towards him. "I don't see anything." She mumbled. She was also rather short. He rolled his eyes and surprised her when he picked her up around her hips. She squeaked, but didn't dare thrash around this high off the ground. 

"Look, shrimp. Use those golden eyes of yours." He snapped. She huffed at her new height and scanned the land before them. _There!_

"The end of the pier." She said as he put her down gently. There were flashes of some light. 

"Yeah. A park. Some trees for cover, but it's not enough." He grinned widely and she couldn't help but return the smile. He turned and started to climb down and she was quick to follow him, wanting to be back on the ground as soon as possible. He moved a lot faster than her with his long legs, hitting the ground when she was a little more than a third from it. "Hurry up!" He shouted, but she could tell he was teasing a little. He really wasn't that bad of a guy, she thought. Her foot hit the next rung a little forcefully, however, and the rusted rung broke. 

Her foot dangled in the air. She couldn't seem to raise her body enough to put them on a higher rung and the next one was too far down. She would fall. "Gajeel!" She shouted. Her hands gripped the rung tightly. She was reminded of when she hung over the chasm. "Gajeel, help-!" Her shout was cut off when a huge gust of wind pushed her, and her grip loosened. She was falling. She was falling and she would die. She screamed, and then...

She wasn't. She opened her eyes, not even realizing she had closed them. Gajeel had caught her. He rushed forward and caught her and he looked just as startled as she felt. He was holding her, her legs over one arm and the rest of her against the other. They stared at each other for a moment before he put her down, standing her up right. Her legs felt like jelly. "You caught me." She said quietly. 

"Yeah. Are you alright?" He asked, looking her over for injuries. They were rather close, she realized. 

"Yeah." She breathed, stepping back from him and breaking the spell. Lucy ran over just then, eyes wide. 

"Levy! Are you okay?! I saw you fall!" She glanced at Gajeel, then back to Levy.

"I'm okay. We got the flag up there, and found the others. They're at the end of the pier, in this grove of trees." Levy explained, shaking off the last of her fear. 

"Let's go tell the others!" Lucy smiled, glad that her friend was safe and okay. The three of them hurried back to the others and told them the information they had. 

"So now what?" Natsu asked, raising an eyebrow. "I say we charge." 

"I think it's smarter to go in two groups." Lucy offered, almost shyly. "One group charges, one group sneaks behind and gets the flag." She glanced at Levy. "Since you and Gajeel know where it is, you should be in the sneaking group. I'll go with you. Natsu, you're so eager for action, so you should go with the charge group." 

"Sounds like a plan. I won't touch the flag." Gajeel nodded. "That's your honor, as initiates." His eyes flickered to Levy for only a moment. "Let's go." 

Gajeel, Lucy, and Levy hurried down the pier, quietly. As they neared the clearing she had spotted before, they hunkered down. Levy slowed her breathing down, trying to be as silent as she could. Once she heard the sounds of shouts and laughter and the soft noise of paintballs being fired, she motioned for the other two to start running for the flag. It had two guards: Mirajane and Elfman. Gajeel shot Elfman in the chest with a bright pink paintball and a wild grin. Levy took aim at Mirajane and hit her in the leg, missing her mark but still hitting the target. _Practice, practice..._

The flag was in a tree, one Levy couldn't reach. She was too short. Damn her height, honestly. Lucy could reach, however, and Levy encouraged her to go for it. She snatched up the flag and shouted their victory. Their team rushed them, lifting her in the air with the flag waving proudly. Levy couldn't help the grin that spread across her face.

* * *

Jet grinned widely at the flag in Lucy's hand. Levy was content to sit and listen to her friends chat and buzz with energy and bounce around. Gajeel's eyes kept meeting hers, but she felt shyer and kept looking away. "Man, why did I have to be on the other team?" Droy whined, making Levy giggle. 

"Because life isn't fair, Droy." Levy teased. Natsu and Grey wandered over to their side of the car, sitting down. Natsu sat close to Lucy, holding a paintball in his fingers. 

"Hey." He grinned. "How do you guys feel about Dauntless so far?" He asked, squeezing his fingers together around the blue paintball. It broke, squirting blue paint on Lucy. She gasped, then broke into laughter, wiping the paint off of her and onto him instead. 

"I love it here." Lucy admitted. Levy did too, she thought to herself. If her life could be like this, good friends and loud laughter and happy exhaustion, she couldn't wait to start it.


	10. Target Practice

"Tomorrow is the last day of stage one, which will finish with final fights. Today, we're learning how to aim with daggers. Pick three up and watch Gajeel demonstrate." Laxus barked over the dull murmur of tired tributes the following morning in the training room. His presence was imposing and hard to ignore today. Everyone moved sluggishly at first. "Now!" He shouted, making everyone scramble for daggers and line up behind the row of targets. Levy watched as Gajeel took his stance, feet spread for good balance. She watched as he pulled his arm back and narrowed his eyes at the target, and she watched as his arm shot forward and released the dagger. It stuck in the board neatly. He did this twice more before everyone started to practice on their own. Laxus paced around, an irritated glare in his expression. He must have felt the loss from the night before harder than everyone realized. 

The sound of daggers sticking in the boards and clattering to the ground fills the room. Levy frowned at the target in front of her, moving her arm in the motion Gajeel had a couple of times before she actually tried to throw one. It clattered to the floor uselessly. Feeling determined not to make a fool of herself in front of Laxus, especially when he was this angry, she tried again. And again. And again. Much like practicing with guns, she wasn't getting it for a while. When she finally did hit the target, she felt pride shoot through her. When she hit the target and her dagger actually stuck in the wood, she felt excited. She turned to share her joy with Droy, who was next to her. He was trying to throw his own dagger. He kept missing, but had hit the target a few times. He grinned at her excitement as she shared her victory with him, but the conversation made him miss the target, hard. "Initiate!" Shit.

Laxus marched over, an anger in his face Levy didn't recognize. "Do you need glasses? You've hardly hit the target and, while you've gotten better, that was the worst you've missed so far!" 

"It slipped." Droy said quietly. 

"Oh. It _slipped._ Well then. Go get it." Laxus glanced at the others with a glare. "I didn't say to stop throwing!" Everyone started to throw again. Levy couldn't take this. It was her fault. His bad mood was her fault, she helped secure victory last night. Droy missing was her fault, she distracted him with her conversation. 

"Stop it." She said, getting Laxus's attention. "First of all, everyone is still throwing their knives. Secondly, it's my fault he missed. I distracted him. He's hit it more than I have." She said firmly. She knew she was doing something dangerous. She almost didn't care. She was tired of Laxus picking on the weak and treating them like they were no better than the dirt beneath his shoes. She was tired of him asserting his authority and dominance. She was tired of it and while he scared her, she would stick up for her friends to him.

"Really now. Well. _You_ can get the dagger then. Go on." 

"No." She said stubbornly. "I'd rather not get seriously injured." 

Laxus stared at her, his eyes narrowing and reminding her of a mythical creature she had come across in a fiction book once. A dragon. "Everyone stop." His voice was slow, measured. It was more frightening than him shouting at her. "Clear the ring, except for you." Everyone scrambling back, watching the tiniest tribute face down the menacing leader. "Stand against the target. Gajeel?" He called. Gajeel walked over, face calm and casual, spinning a dagger in his fingers.

"Do we have to do this? She's got a big mouth. Let it go." Gajeel let his eyes drift lazily over to Laxus. It was as close to a open challenge to the higher authority as Gajeel would get. 

"I have the authority here. You had the opportunity and you didn't take it, now _shut up_ and throw knives at her until she learns her damn lesson." The blonde haired leader snapped. He faced Levy, who was standing in front of the target. Her head didn't reach the center. She looked and felt smaller than ever, except for the fire in her eyes. "You will stand there until you learn to quit opening that big mouth of yours. Until you don't flinch at the idea of a knife hitting you." She restrained herself from asking him which one he meant. She had smartmouthed him enough for the day. Gajeel's red eyes met her golden ones. Calm, focused, angry eyes met fiery golden ones. "Let's go!" Laxus growled. Levy had hardly any time to steel her nerves before the first knife flew. 

It embedded itself in the wooden board next to her arm, quivering from the force slightly. She closed her eyes, breathing deep before opening them. She saw Lucy, Jet, and Droy with concerned expressions on their faces, but her eyes never left Gajeel's. "Droy offered to take your place." He said. "C'mon shrimp." Levy only stubbornly shook her head no, holding her chin high. Her defiance seemed to irritate him and he threw the second knife with little warning. It slammed into the wood next to her cheek. The third slammed above her head, almost cutting the hair that stuck up slightly. The fourth one slammed on the other side of her face. They were coming faster. The fifth one nicked her shirt, tearing the side, and the sixth one nicked her ear, making her yelp slightly at the pain that surprised her. 

"Alright, alright. I think that's enough, don't you?" Laxus had a cruel smirk on his face, like always. There was something else there that she hated, it made her skin crawl. "Let's call it a day!" He shouted, turning and leaving. Everyone else started to leave as well, except Gajeel and Levy. She waited until the room was empty to face him. She felt anger bubble up in her chest. 

"Are you-"

"You did that on purpose!" She shoved his chest, hard, but it barely made him stumble. "That hurt, you asshole!"

"Yeah, I did. You're welcome, by the way." He said sarcastically. 

"I never thanked you. I don't want to!"

"Dammit, you are really stupid! When are you gonna get it?!" He yelled, moving closer to her. 

"Get what?" She challenged. She took a small step back, inching closer to a wall. "That you're _sadistic_ like Laxus? That you think I'm weak and that I'll back down if you challenge me?" 

He surprised and scared her with his next move. He seemed to snap a little and grabbed her shoulders and slammed her into the wall, trapping her between his arms. She gasped, her breathing heavy as she stared at him. He leaned his head down, his face inches from hers, a dark fury hidden in his eyes. "I am not sadistic." He growled. "Don't _ever_ compare me with that pompous head of hair, got it?" He moved so his mouth was near her ear, the very ear he had injured. "If I wanted to hurt you, _Levy,_ I would have by now. I may not be sadistic, but I am not a good man." He growled out, pulling back and staring her down. After a tense, charged moment, he pulled back and started to leave. As he left, he slammed his last knife from his belt into the table, where it stuck. She only stared at it, at a loss for words. Anger battled other emotions she was unfamiliar with, unsure of how to handle them. 

_What the hell was that?_


	11. Is This What We Have Become?

Levy frowned. Her pants weren't fitting her. Why not? She hadn't gained weight. She was a slip of a thing. _Muscle._ She realized. She couldn't wear these pants, so she threw on her shirt and wrapped her towel around her waist firmly. She would have to grab new pants. Or, she would have, if a certain someone hadn't yanked her towel down as she walked out of the bathroom. 

She felt heat rush her cheeks as she snatched it from Angel's grip. She was snickering. Cobra was too. His newest companion, Loke, a golden-brown haired pretty boy with an interest in Lucy, laughed, but avoided looking. She wrapped it firmly again, listening to their comments as she found shorts to wear and threw them on. 

_"She's so tiny. She has hardly anything under there. Bet she's got nothing under that shirt."_

_"Is she really sixteen? She's too damn small."_

She felt anger, worse than what she felt at Gajeel and Laxus the day before, boil in her blood. She wanted them to pay for what they did. She couldn't wait for the fights.

* * *

"Are you okay, Lev? You seem... Angry. More so than you usually are when it comes to those asshats." Lucy jerked a thumb at the group of three that had tormented them all. Levy quirked a smile at the insult. 

"That's a new one. That insult." She laughed. "I'm fine." And she was. She felt fine. Just angry. She watched as Mirajane and Jet fought. Mirajane was showing more of the strength she had hidden. It was a close match, but Mira came out on top, surprisingly. She watched as Droy and Loke fought and Droy won, but barely. She watched as Elfman and Cobra fought. They were rather evenly matched, but Elfman won, giving Cobra a good beating. Good. Levy was next, and she was fighting Angel. _Even better._

They circled each other for a moment. "You're so pale and boring. Is that why you dyed your hair and got a tattoo? To be different? It's not working." Angel sneered. Levy growled and lunged, missing her. Angel brought her powerful fist up but Levy was quick. It was always her best attribute. She slipped out of the way lithely, slamming her foot into Angel's side as she did so. Angel groaned, no longer smirking or poking any fun. She whipped around, grabbing at Levy's arm, but she avoided it again and slammed her elbow into Angel's arm. Angel kicked her leg, hard, making her stumble in her steps. The bluenette stepped back, regrouping a little with herself, before ducking low to avoid Angel's next move, a solid punch to the chest. _What isn't she guarding?_ Then... There!

Her stomach. Levy aimed a kick, followed quickly by an uppercut at her stomach. Angel looses her balance and while she's off balanced, Levy shoved her down and kicked her once squarely in the ribs for good measure. Angel groaned loudly, curling in on herself to protect herself from the bluenette. "Levy wins." Gajeel announced, staring at her like he didn't recognize her. She didn't blame him, most days she didn't recognize herself. She stepped out of the ring and felt guilt flood her stomach. She could have done a lot worse to Angel. She _wanted_ to do a lot worse to the girl crumpled on the floor. Who was she becoming?

* * *

Visiting Day. A day she had dreaded. 

She got up and dressed in a black dress, one that was lower in the back and showed her tattoo. She pushed her blue hair out of her face with a black headband and slipped on comfortable shoes, finishing her outfit with a black belt across her waist. She considered using the makeup Lucy bought her ages ago, but decided against it for now. She wanted her mother or father to recognize her somewhat... If they came. She glanced at Lucy, who's facial expression was hard and pained. "Luce? You don't ever talk about home, but if it wasn't good and anyone shows up you don't want to, or no one shows up, you can stick with me." Levy offered kindly. Lucy cracked a tiny smile at that. 

Together, the two girls walked down to the Pit. Hoards of people swarmed the area. Dauntless families seeing the Dauntless born initiates, other Dauntless families joining in the celebration. She spotted Jet and Droy, being hugged by a woman dressed in black and white. She scanned the crowd, looking for bright colors in the crowd and-there! A red dress stands out. She hurried down, tears coming to her eyes that she quickly pushed back. "Mom." She hugged her mother. A typical Amity greeting. 

"Levy! Your hair..." She smiled sadly, lifting a lock of blue hair. "You cut it. And... Dyed it." 

"Blue, like the skies at home." She grinned. "How are you?" 

"I'm fine, I'm fine. What about you, sweetheart?" She noticed the blonde girl who kept looking around, seemingly terrified. "And who's your friend?" Levy's mother hugged Lucy, startling her. "Sorry, that's how we say hello in Amity." She laughed. 

"I'm Lucy. I'm a friend of Levy's." Lucy explained quietly. 

"It's lovely to meet you, darling. How's initiation going?" She asked, noting the tiny injuries on both girls faces and the scar on Levy's ear. 

"It's rough, but we're managing." Levy smiled. "How's the farms? And...Dad?"

"The farms are doing just fine, we have a fine batch of Amity initiates that are working it wonderfully. Your dad is rather sick, I'm afraid, but he'll pull through. I'm sure." She explained patiently. Levy noticed Gajeel standing by the chasm, staring down at the water. She wondered where his family was, until she saw a young girl with dark blue hair rush up to him, all energy and smiles. 

"That's one of my instructors." Levy pointed him out quietly. She wondered who that little girl was. 

"Lev." Lucy's hand grabbed her arm, fear flashing over her face. "Lev, he's here." 

"Who?" She asked. 

"My... My dad." Lucy seemed terrified. Levy turned to her mother for a moment. 

"Do you see those two boys down there? That's Jet and that's Droy. They're my other friends. Go down there, meet them, talk to them, and I'll be there in a minute. Lucy needs me right now." She pleaded. Her mother only smiled. 

"I'm glad you still have your compassion." She said before walking away. Levy grabbed Lucy's arm and dragged her down a side hall. 

"Spill." 

And so she did. She told Levy how her mother died when she was very young and how her father neglected her. He would shout at her if she interrupted his work, he pretended she basically didn't exist, he was angry and cold and she hated him. He struck her for the first time a week before the Choosing Ceremony, and never apologized, so she left. She left to find a faction far away from him, where she could protect herself from it ever happening again. Levy almost cried for her friend. She wanted to cry for her friend. She would, but not now. Arm in arm, they came back to the Pit. Lucy felt she could face her father with Levy by her side, which was a good thing since he was the first person they ran into. 

He had a stern, neat mustache and cold eyes. He was dressed in crisp blue, eyes narrowed and calculating. "Lucy? I hardly recognized you in such awful clothes. What's happened to your face? Your hair?" Lucy had long since styled her hair differently. It used to be long, straight, and in a ponytail, but she got it cut so it was shorter and layered and perfectly her. 

"Father. I'm Dauntless now, and this is who I am. This is more me than I ever was with you." Lucy said confidently. 

"If you wanted to leave, I could pull strings, as a City Leader. You know I would." Even his voice was cold. He reached out a hand, which Lucy grabbed and twisted over. 

"If you lay a single _finger_ on me, I will break your arm. I know how, and I will do it." She released him with venom in her eyes. "I will never go back to that house. To that life. To you! So just leave! I don't want to see you, I don't even know why you came!" Her voice raised to a shout, startling her father. With tears in her eyes, she stormed away, heading for Jet, Droy, their parents, and Levy's mother. 

"I'm her friend, and if you even show your face here again, I will personally punch it." She threatened for her friend before following Lucy down to their other friends and her own mother.


	12. Ranked

At dinner, no one talked about their meetings with family. No one mentioned Lucy's father, even though Jet and Droy had been told he was there. They didn't know why she had such an aversion to him, and no one asked. It was something Lucy told Levy in secret and Levy would take it to her grave. Or, at least, until Lucy was willing to tell others. The rankings would be going up soon, after dinner. It was a topic Levy didn't want to discuss either. Instead, they discussed pets. 

"We never had pets in Erudite. I thought having a cat would be nice." Lucy admitted, spearing another bite of food with her fork and munching on it.

"We had a cat on the farm, but he wasn't really _our_ cat. He just sort of wandered around there. We left out food and water for him whenever he felt like coming by and he would chase away rats and mice." Levy said thoughtfully, her chin propped up on her hand on the table. 

"Huh. We had a dog." Jet said and Droy nodded. 

"After that test, I don't think I can look a dog the same way." Droy admitted. It brought an uncomfortable silence over the table, which was broken when Lucy demanded Levy go shopping with her after dinner, after checking ranks.

* * *

"Alright, listen up! I'm not gonna repeat myself!" Gajeel shouted over the ruckus of the initiates. Levy couldn't see the chalkboard at his feet from the back of the crowd, but she could hear his words. "After your first round of fights, you were ranked based on skill level. You earn points for improving and beating someone of a higher skill level. That being said, you lose points by losing to someone of a lower skill level." His eyes drifted to Angel for a moment, who was still bruised and banged up. "Stage two is weighted more heavily than stage one, because it's closely tied to overcoming cowardice and finding your own bravery, but it will be hard to rank high at the end of initiation if you rank low in stage one." He paused for a moment. "Four of the initates will be cut, tomorrow. It could be two of you and two of the Dauntless born, or four of them. It doesn't matter which group you come from."

Levy pushed her way to the front, trying to see where she ranked in everything. She just had to know if she was as low as she thought she was. She was sure she would be one of the ones cut tomorrow. Her eyes skimmed the ranks quickly. 

_1\. Elfman  
2\. Cobra  
3\. Jet  
4\. Lucy  
5\. Angel  
6\. Levy  
7\. Droy  
8\. Loke  
9\. Mirajane_

Levy blinked owlishly at the results. _Sixth? And how did Mira get ninth?_ Mira had hidden her own strength for most of the first stage but she was a good fighter. It didn't make much sense. She even beat Jet once, but the more Levy thought about it, the more she realized it made sense. Mirajane often went down quickly. She didn't want to hurt anyone. 

"This is your fault." Angel rounded on Levy. "You're low ranked cause you're terrible and weak and tiny, but you beat me so this is _your fault._ " She snarled. "You're gonna pay." And she stormed out. Levy just stared after her. The rankings were still sinking in for her when Lucy came up with a grin. 

"Fourth! Who would have thought? And sixth for you! Heck yeah. Let's celebrate." Lucy grinned widely. Droy declined the offer, feeling uneasy with his own ranking. Levy, Jet, and Lucy went to a Dauntless shop and Lucy made Levy buy a dress she didn't think she would ever wear. She looked good in it. Very good. It showed off her tattoo and complimented her hair and skin tone and with a touch of makeup, her eyes popped too. She looked hot. She was just never the person to try and look hot, so instead she just felt awkward and out of place, but they bought it anyways. It hugged her in all the right places and would catch any guys eye. Lucy teased her that it had already caught Jet's eye, who denied it quickly. Eventually, they turned in for the night. At least they had the day off tomorrow.

* * *

Few things would cause Levy to wake in a panic. The smell of fire, for fear something had happened to the house, the crops, the farm. Her mother shaking her awake when a bad storm was bringing in worse weather and they had to hide in a storm cellar. She was used to odd noises, there were always odd noises back home and Dauntless was hardly ever quiet, even at night, but this.... this sound would haunt her for the rest of her life. 

A bloodcurdling scream of pain, a thud, the scampering of feet, a distressed noise, a shout of anger, and then the lights came on, flooding her senses. The sharp tang of blood filled the room. "ELFMAN! SOMEONE, GET HELP!" Mirajane shouted. Gone was the soft, sweet girl that showed predominately in training. This girl... Levy felt a shudder of fear for whoever did this to Elfman, for they would have to face whatever wrath hid under the surface of the kindest girl she had ever met. Her attention turned to Elfman next, who was on the ground, clutching his arm with one hand and the other gripping his eye. His arm looked broken, maybe from the fall off his bunk if he fell wrong, but the knife sticking out of his eye was no accident. It was from the dining hall. The only person missing was Cobra. 

"Elfman." Her attention was yanked back to Mirajane, who was sitting in the blood, little regard for her own clothing. She was holding him down gently. "Stay still, okay? You're going to be okay, brother. You just have to stay still. I know it hurts, but the doctor will take it out and you'll be okay. I promise." She spoke in a soft, soothing tone. It calmed the panic and hysteria in Elfman, turning his screams and shouts into soft cries and sobs. 

A nurse arrived, taking Elfman away. Mirajane stayed behind for only a moment, telling everyone that when she found out who did this-and she would find out-they would regret everything. She would personally kill them. Then, she left to be with her brother. Everyone stared at the blood on the ground. No one made a move to clean it up. "Well, I'm not going to sleep tonight. Luce?" Levy looked at her blonde friend, who was pale. She nodded shallowly, gathering up towels. Jet helped as well, but Droy was shaking, tears in his eyes, trying not to vomit. 

They cleaned up the blood for half an hour, then tried to sleep. No one slept much at all that night.


	13. Something Dangerous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the impromptu hiatus. I was finishing up my senior year of high school as well as dealing with a lot of more personal things. My free time was cut short, even though I had a full summer, because I had a job and family issues. I recently started college, and I spend a fair amount of down time on campus between classes. I have, by some miracle, punched a hole through my depression and lack of motivation and am using that down time to write again. So! Without further ado, here we go.

"I kinda... Wish we didn't have the day off." Jet broke the silence as he and Levy walked around aimlessly. She nodded silently, agreeing completely. A day off meant nothing to distract from what happened. It kept replaying in her head, like a broken record. She could still feel the blood on her hands and under her nails, even though she scrubbed vigorously before going to bed. "I mean... We could visit him." 

Levy scoffed slightly. "I feel bad for him, but what would we even say? 'We've been sleeping, training, and eating together but I hardly know you, sorry you got stabbed'?" She didn't mean to be rude. It sort of just came out, like a defense. Jet laughed anyways. It wasn't funny and they both knew that, but it was much better than crying. 

"Sorry." Jet wiped his eyes. "You know, there are rules about this kinda stuff." 

"Yeah, but with people like Laxus in charge, they're never gonna get enforced. Any other faction, it would be brave to tell someone. Here?" Levy sighed heavily. Every time she felt somewhat better about her new home, something bad happened to ruin the good image she built up. They continued to walk for a few more silent moments before Jet broke the silence again. 

"Fear is not evil. It tells you what you weakness is. And once you know your weakness, you can become stronger as well as kinder." He said suddenly. Levy raised an eyebrow at him. "It's, uh, something I overheard the other day. Someone said it came from a leader in Dauntless. Doesn't sounds much like Laxus, so I'm guessing it's one of the good ones. I liked the thought." He shoved his hands into his pockets with a sigh. "Anyways. Let's go down to the cafeteria, maybe there's still cake we can eat." 

Levy smiled a little. She liked that thought. It seemed to combine the bravery of Dauntless with the kindness of Amity. It suited her quite well. "Yeah. Cake sounds good."

* * *

Levy wandered back to the dorms later that day. Lucy was laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, eyes unfocused. "Have you heard anything about Elfman and Mirajane?" Levy asked quietly. 

"They quit. Both of them. Mira didn't want to leave her brother alone, he can't continue here with one eye. Two Dauntless-born were cut too." She paused. "Least they didn't cut Droy." Lucy sighed, closing her eyes. "It's just... Fucked up." She muttered. "It's so..." She trailed off, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She tied her shoes tight and stood, not saying another word as she marched out of the dorm. Levy watched her leave before sighing and leaving as well. She couldn't stand to be in that room. 

It didn't take long for her to wander again. She wandered aimlessly, alone this time, until she found an empty hallway. She leaned against the wall, sliding down it and collapsing on the ground. She couldn't break down in front of everyone, but she felt tears prick her eyes. She didn't know Elfman, but a terrible thing happened and she was a witness. She felt bad for him, for his sister. They were factionless now. She couldn't even imagine being factionless. She hugged her knees close to her chest, covering her face with a ragged gasp. 

A hand rubbed her back lightly and her head shot up, her eyes finding Lucy next to her. Lucy smiled at her, continuing to rub her back lightly. Levy leaned her head on Lucy's shoulder, saying nothing but calming down considerably. They stayed like that until footsteps approached. "Levy? Lucy?"

Levy lifted her head off of Lucy's shoulder, blinking away the rest of her tears. "Natsu." Lucy said softly. "Hey." 

"You guys okay?" He asked, tilting his head. There was a small group of Dauntless-born with him, but he waved them on. Levy caught a glimpse of long, black hair and metal piercings disappear around a corner. 

"Mmm. Bad night." Lucy shrugged. Levy decided to stay quiet. 

"Oh yeah, I heard about that guy. Elfman?" He paused for a moment, then grinned widely. "Wanna get out of here?" 

"Where would we go?" Lucy asked, her curiosity piqued. 

"It's an initiation ritual." He glanced down the hallway. "If you wanna go, we have to hurry. So?" He held a hand out to Lucy. She paused, only for a moment, before grabbing his hand and pulling herself up. She looked down at Levy and gave her a small smile.

"What do we really have to loose?" She pointed out. Levy shook her head and stood up, brushing herself off. Natsu laughed, holding onto Lucy's hand as they hurried down the hall to catch up with the others. Levy gave her friend a knowing look, making her blush. 

"What are we doing?" Levy finally spoke up. They had caught up to the other initiates and she noticed Gray was there as well. 

"Something dangerous. Hey Levy." Gray answered her, throwing her a small smile. 

"What are they doing here?" A rough voice caught her attention. She saw a boy with white hair staring her down. "Only initiates with Dauntless siblings can do this." 

"Lay off, Lyon. They saw that guy get stabbed." Natsu snapped. "Don't mind him. He's about a year older than us, basically Gray's adopted brother." Lyon flicked him off, making Levy snicker a little. They turned another corner and found a group of members waiting for them. Among the members was Gajeel, Levy noticed. His eyes found hers, but neither said anything. 

"Let's go. The train will be coming soon." Someone said, though Levy didn't notice who. Everyone started to move, heading towards a dark doorway. It was completely dark inside. A staircase. Levy stuck close to Lucy and Natsu, surprising herself when she didn't trip or stumble on the stairs. They emerged from below ground, the glass buildings that reside above the Pit off to the side. The train tracks were just ahead. Everyone moved towards them, waiting, listening. Levy let out a slow breath. The past day and night had wrecked her state of mind, but this... This she knew. This she was comfortable with. The train finally appeared, coming closer and closer. People started to run next to the train. Levy ran beside Lucy, watching as she easily pulled herself in with her long legs. Levy grunted with frustration before throwing herself sideways and pulling herself in. She was proud of herself for not messing up. 

Lucy sat next to Natsu, chatting excitedly. Levy slid down next to her, staying quiet until Gray sat on her other side. "Do you know where we're going?" Levy asked him. 

He shrugged. "Lyon never told me." 

"You don't get to know. It's a surprise, dummy." A woman with very bright pink hair and ears covered in silver studs spoke up. "Hey. I'm Sherry." She waved a little. 

"I'm Levy." Levy smiled a little.

"Yeah, I heard about you a little from Gray after your Capture the Flag." She paused, her gaze flickering to Gajeel, who sat in the doorway, letting his legs dangle as he watched the landscapes go by. 

"Do you know him well?" She asked, nodding her head towards Gajeel. Sherry shrugged. 

"He's a year older than Lyon and I, but we got to know him a bit. He's a good man... Rough around the edges, but good." She said with a small shrug. Levy let the idea of Gajeel being a good man sit with her. It felt strange to think of him as good or nice. He was scary, rough, mean, and unafraid of anything in her mind. Sherry glanced towards the doorway and grinned, walking towards it. "Get ready!" 

The train didn't slow down, but that wasn't unusual now. It is the fastest the train has ever gone when Levy had to jump, but she refused to loose her nerve in front of all these people, not when she's earning her place. The members jumped off first, waves of colored hair and shining piercings. She took a deep breath to steel her nerves before she leaped off the train, followed by Lucy and Natsu. She stumbled several steps before finally regaining her footing. "Nothin' like a good adrenaline rush to jumpstart your heart." Lucy joked. 

"Oh yeah." Levy nudged her playfully, taking a look at their surroundings. It was quiet, and darker. They were in the abandoned part of the city. She spotted the Hancock building, one of the tallest building on this side of the city. Were they going there? It seemed very Dauntless. As they got closer to the building, people started to run. She started to jog, then sprint, keeping pace with Lucy. They entered the ruined front of the building and she spotted an elevator.

"Does it work?" Gray asked, motioning to the elevator. Lyon rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah. You think Gajeel is stupid enough to not think about coming here to turn on the generator first?" He joked. Gray opened his mouth to argue, but Gajeel gave him a deadly look, silencing whatever snappy retort he had. Gajeel jammed his thumb on the button to the elevator and waited for the doors to open. Half entered one elevator, half entered the other. 

"What floor?" A girl with long, brown hair and a pierced eyebrow asked. 

"One-hundred?" Lucy guessed. Everyone stared at her and she shrugged. "We're in a tall building with reckless Dauntless." The girl pressed the button with a sigh and the doors shut, whisking them upwards. The elevator moved fast, the little numbers steadily going up. Twenty, thirty. Lucy and Natsu stood close together. He whispered something that made her laugh. Sixty, seventy, and Levy had tied her hair back in a short ponytail. The elevator finally stopped at one hundred, jolting a little bit.

"How are we gonna get to the roof?" The girl with the brown hair asked as the doors opened. A very strong wind rushed in to meet everyone, making Levy's hair whip around. She steadied herself against the strong wind, glancing up. A huge hole was above them, leading to the roof. Lyon propped a ladder against the hole and started to climb it. 

"That's how, Cana." Gray smirked a little, hurrying to the ladder. Lyon climbed up first, holding the ladder for the next person when he reached the top. Gajeel walked over to hold the bottom, but he held it with one hand and a lazy demeanor, like he wasn't really making an effort at all. Levy watched a few others climb up before she finally climbed up. Her mind drifted to the Ferris wheel, how she climbed up and discovered her fear of heights. She was facing that fear again now, but her curiosity overpowered her fear. She could feel his crimson eyes following her feet as she climbed. 

On the roof, the wind was so powerful it drowned out most noise. Levy cursed her tiny stature once again as the wind nearly knocked her over. Lucy and Levy had to lean against each other to support each other against the wind. Once everyone was on the roof, Lucy nudged the bluenette and pointed to something on the edge of the room, attached to a pole. Gajeel stood there, giving her a pointed look with a wicked smirk. Her eyes traveled up to the pole. There was a steel cable that looked thicker than her wrist and it went down, down, down until she can't see the end. On the bottom of the pole, a pile of slings made from tough black fabric that were large enough to hold a person laid on the ground. Her stomach dropped when she realized what they had planned.

They were going to slide down a steel cable from a thousand feet in the air. 

"Oh my god." Lucy muttered. Levy felt lightheaded, her fear of heights rushing back to her full force. She held it at bay so far, but now it was rearing its ugly head. She couldn't afford to back down now, though. They were starting to see her as one of them. 

Lyon walked up to the pole as Gajeel hooked one of the slings up to a pulley on the cable. He waved at Gray and winked at Sherry before climbing in, wriggling on his stomach until most of his body was supported. Gajeel pulled various straps across his back, shoulders, and thighs, then tugged on everything to make sure he was snug and secure. Then, he pulled Lyon back and counted down from five before pushing him as hard as he could. Lyon let out a loud, cheerful whoop as he went down. The other members cheered and pumped their fists and formed a line, shoving each other around. Levy ended up between Lucy and Natsu in line. Her heart felt like it was in her throat. 

Four members fly down the cable before Lucy climbed in with a little help from Gajeel. She looked nervous, but excited. Levy felt like she was going to throw up. Lucy let out a girlish scream as she went down, making a couple people laugh, and Levy watched her until she couldn't see her anymore. She realized no one else had stepped forward and looked up at Gajeel. Right. She was next. 

She swallowed hard before stepping up to him. His red eyes stared down at her, amusement and teasing in them, but also... Concern. She tried to pull herself into the sling but she was too short and her hands shook too much. Gajeel grabbed her arms and helped her slide in, face down. "It's safe, shrimp. Don't worry." He whispered in her ear, making her shudder. "I won't lie, I'm a little impressed." He added before standing up and doing all the straps across her back and shoulders and thighs, making sure she was very secure. He yanked on the pulley, hard, making sure it held steady. It did. Levy looked down, all the way to the cracked sidewalk, and regretted it immediately. She felt dizzy. "Ready?" He asked. 

Before she could nod or say anything, he pulled her back and pushed her hard, sending her flying with a shrill scream.


	14. Stage Two

Her scream of fear rang in the air, but quickly became cut off, the wind making it hard enough to catch her breath. Her eyes squeezed shut, fearing something would break and she would fall, down, down, down, to her death. She heard the metal of the pulley screeching against the steel cable, the sound vibrating in her soul. After a long moment, she opened her eyes and saw the marsh around her. The brown landscape was huge and wide and mostly dried up. Her eyes moved forward and she watched the cracked pavement grow closer and closer. She watched the buildings whip by her, her reflection in some of the remaining glass showing how terrified she was, but how alive she seemed. A bubble of laughter grew in her throat, but he couldn't laugh with all the wind stealing her voice. It was hysterical laughter, born of fear, but laughter just the same. Her arms stretched out, imagining she was flying, sailing parallel to the ground. 

She started to slow down, and while most of her felt relief, a part of her felt disappointment. She saw the others who had gone down before her standing on the ground, cheering. She had slowed to a stop and laughed loudly, returning their cheer. They turned to each other and linked arms, forming a human net to catch her. She hovered about twenty feet off the ground, still at attached to the zipline. She trusted the people below her, she realized. They would catch her. Lucy smiled up at her as she reached behind her to undo the straps enough to fall. They loosened and she fell with a small shout, hitting their arms as they cheered again. 

"So, what did you think?" Sherry asked with a chuckle. Levy looked around at their windblown hair and expressions. Even Lucy could be mistaken as a member with how she looked. While the entire experience terrified her, and she wouldn't be likely to do this often, she still loved the adrenaline and the rush and the feeling of flying. 

"That was terrifying, but incredible." Levy finally said. Lucy giggled, hugging her tightly. 

"You did it, though." She pointed out. "We're one of them." 

"There he is!" Someone shouted. A loud, cheerful shout filled the air. Levy quickly linked arms with everyone to make the same human net that caught her to catch the next person. Pink hair caught her eye as she looked up and saw Natsu with his arms out in front of him and a wild grin on his face. When he stopped, he looked down with a pout before disconnecting from his harness and falling. 

"How was it?" Lyon asked him. 

"Oh man! I'm all fired up now! That was awesome! When can I go again?!" Natsu shouted, bouncing around like a child once he was standing. Lucy giggled and he winked at her. 

"Your hair is a bigger mess than usual." Lucy pointed out, reaching up to try and tame it. It only made his grin grow wider. 

The group slowly grew as more members and initiates came down. Members were always excited. The initiates varied from pure terror to full excitement, sometimes a mixture of the two. Gajeel was the last one down. Levy had somehow found herself on the edge of the human net, so she hardly helped when he came down, but she was alright with that. He likely would have caused her to collapse. She had never seen him with a carefree expression like this before. He seemed happy, at ease. She decided she liked it. It looked good on him, even if it was a bit out of character to how she saw him in her mind. They walked back to the train tracks, buzzing with energy. Somehow, Levy ended up by Gajeel as they walked. He looked down at her, a strange look in his eyes. 

"How're you doing?" He asked lowly.

"Why do you ask?" She responded easily.

"You saw a guy get stabbed. From what I heard, you even cleaned it up. That shit can't be sitting well with you. Doesn't sit well with me and I didn't see it." He crossed his arms, raising a studded eyebrow at her. "On top of that, you're scared stiff of heights." 

"I'm fine." She said shortly. "And yeah, I am, but I... Kinda enjoyed that, believe it or not. The rush of it anyhow." She gave him half a smile as they stopped by the tracks, waiting for the train. 

"Glad we could get your mind off things." He told her, his expression softening a bit. Then it turned teasing. "Shrimp." She smacked his arm lightly, laughing anyways.

* * *

"You did _what?_ " Jet stared at the two girls with wide eyes. "Why didn't you guys invite us?" He whined, pouting. 

"They came so suddenly and they were leaving and..." Lucy shrugged. "Natsu's cute." 

"Oh, that excuses everything." Droy teased. "A cute boy? All is forgiven." He rolled his eyes. "Anyways, you missed Loke making a big deal about Abnegation or something. Jet almost punched him when he started to insult Candor and Amity." Levy and Lucy laughed a little, though Levy wondered what he could have been insulting Amity about. That is-was. That _was_ her home, for sixteen years. 

"He's the guy with golden brown hair, right? Hangs around Angel a lot, sometime Cobra?" Levy asked. 

"Yep. He came from Erudite. He used to have a thing for me." Lucy admitted. "I rejected him." 

"Yowch, Lucy." Jet sucked his teeth. "Harsh." 

"I didn't return it at all! Shut up, you'd do the same." She shoved his shoulder as he dissolved into laughter. "Eat your damn dinner, jerk." 

"Ah yeah, we should eat and rest up. Tomorrow we start stage two." Levy pointed out, pushing her food around her plate a little. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.

* * *

Levy sat with her back to a wall in a dimly lit hallway, Lucy to her left and Jet to her right. Droy was on the other side of Jet. Natsu sat across from Lucy, with Gray on one side and Cana on the other. People's names have been called and they walk down the hall, into a closed door, and aren't seen again. They must leave through a different door. Before, they were trained separately, but now everyone is trained together. It stayed quiet, until Cana spoke up. 

"So, which one of you is first?" Her question hangs in the air for a moment until Cobra speaks up. 

"I am." He turned his snake-like gaze to Cana from further down the hall. 

"Bet I could take you. I'm third, but I still bet I could take you." She smirked. "Transfer." Levy recognized the challenge in her voice. While she would love for someone to really hand it to Cobra, she wished they didn't challenge him. He was dangerous, and cruel. 

"Yeah? I wouldn't be so sure. Who's first?" He snapped, sweeping his gaze across the Dauntless-born. 

"I am." Natsu growled. _Of course he is._ Levy thought, glancing at him. "You know how many years we've spent preparing for this? I don't care how cruel you think you are, I'd take you down in a heartbeat." 

Before Cobra could retaliate, the door opened and Gajeel stepped out. "Cana." He called. She stood, spitting in Cobra's direction before marching down the hallway, letting the door slam behind her. 

"You're first?" Lucy asked quietly. 

"Yeah." He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. 

"Don't you think it's a bit unfair? You've spent your whole life preparing for this, and we have to learn and catch up in a few weeks." Jet pointed out. 

"The first stage was skill. No one can prepare for stage two." Gray spoke up. "That's what I've heard, anyways." 

No one had a response to that. Twenty minutes go by. Levy passed the time by playing a childish rhythm game she learned in Amity with Lucy. The door opened again and Gajeel called another name. 

"Cobra." Cobra stood and sauntered down the hall, full of confidence. He kicked at Levy's outstretched leg but she quickly recoiled so he missed. Slowly, slowly, the number of people in the hall dwindled down until all that was left was Loke, Natsu, and Levy. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall behind her, listening to the muttering coming from the room at the end of the hall. She heard the door open and Gajeel step out again. 

"Levy." She didn't react right away, her brain not registering that he called her name. "Levy, let's go." He snapped, making her eyes fly open. She stood, stretching a little before walking down the hall. Loke stuck out his leg to trip her, but she easily hopped over it. Her golden eyes met Gajeel's crimson for a moment before she entered the room. 

Immediately, she gasped and recoiled, colliding with his chest. He pushed her forward, a little harshly but with a gentleness behind it, closing the door behind them. In front of her was a reclining metal chair, just like the one from the aptitude test.

"Sit." He said, motioning to the chair. She stared at him incredulously for a moment before stiffly walking towards the chair and sitting down. The cold of the metal seeps into her body as she put her head against the headrest. 

"What's the simulation?" She asked, her voice coming out more confident than she really was. 

"You know how you faced your fear of heights?" He said as he messed around at the desk, setting things up. "This is... Similar. It'll teach you to control your emotions during a frightening situation." Once again, he sounded like he was reading from a script while teaching. She let out a heavy sigh. 

"What's gonna happen?" She asked. 

He shrugged. "It's usually different for each person." He walked over to her and brushed his fingers against her neck. Her face heated up as he moved her hair back, but she pretended it didn't affect her. She saw out of the corner of her eye that he was holding a syringe. She hated needles. 

"An injection?" She questioned. Now, her voice shook slightly. 

"It's more advanced than other simulations. No wires." He explained. 

"How does it work without wires?" 

"There's a transmitter in the serum. Sends data to my computer. I have wires so I can see what's going on, though." He eased the tip of the needle into her neck and she winced, trying not to tense up. "It'll go into affect in about a minute. It's different than the aptitude test. It affects the part of your brain that processes fear and creates something you would fear. A hallucination designed for you. I monitor it, and send the recording to the Dauntless administrators. You stay under until you calm down. Lower your heart rate and calm your breathing." He explained. Levy tried to stay focused on his words, but her mind was going crazy. She felt the beginnings of fear creeping into her system and it was distracting her.

"You'll do fine. Take a breath, shrimp." He smirked a little. His eyes and his smirk were the last things she saw before the simulation took her under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah I'm excited for the next chapter. Now I get to be really creative!


	15. Fear

Cold. 

That was her first thought. She was cold. Her eyes flew open with a gasp. A powerful wind blew around her, making her hair whip around her. It was so powerful she felt like it would knock her over, just like when she was on the Hancock building. She realized she _was_ back on the Hancock building, staring across the marsh. Her eyes drifted down to the pavement below and she swallowed uncomfortably. Fear swelled in her throat, making it hard for her to breathe. She felt the beginnings of panic form, from shaky limbs to sweaty palms. She felt like she was going to vomit. She tried to step back, away from the edge, but her back met a wall. There was nowhere for her to go, but forward. Ahead of her was a very thin rope stretching to a nearby building. She could cross the rope, or jump off the building. 

_"You stay in until you calm down. Calm your breathing and lower your heart rate."_ Gajeel's voice echoed in her mind. Her breathing was erratic, her mind was muddled, but she thought if she faced her fear she would come out of this. She took a shaky breath, walking forward. Her toes nudged the edge of the building. Tears pricked her eyes as fear seemed to take over her entire body. She felt stiff, frozen, panicked. She took a slow step onto the rope and it creaked under the shift in weight. Her breathing came in heavy, short bursts as she spread her arms and took another step. And another. And another. 

She was halfway across when it creaked again, and snapped. She fell with a scream, grabbing it as she fell. The rope cut into her hands, making her wince, but she didn't dare let go. She slammed into the side of a building and groaned with the pain it caused. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she couldn't do anything but cling to the rope and cry. Her mind was fuzzy from her lack of oxygen. She blinked rapidly, trying to stop her tears. _Think! Calm!_

She breathed in deeply, though her breathe came in shuddering gasps. She held it for a moment before letting it out slowly. Slow, easy breaths. In and out. That's how she would calm herself and clear her mind. She looked up slowly. Looking down would only serve to cause her to panic again. The rope was barely holding together with her weight and the force of the wind. If she moved, it may break again and she would fall to her death. She took another steadying breath of the cool air, closing her eyes. She was going to fall either way. The moments seemed to stretch into hours as she thought. She would hit the ground if she let go or if she climbed. It didn't matter.

She realized what she had to do to get out of this. If she would fall either way, it would be on her terms. She sucked in one last breath before letting go, the wind ripping at her clothes as she fell. The last thing she saw was the ground rushing up to meet her when her eyes flew open with a gasp. 

She screamed, fearing hitting the ground, throwing her arms up to brace herself, before she realized she wasn't falling. She was sitting. Her breathing felt panicked and hard once again as she rubbed her palms where the rope cut her. She noticed vaguely someone out of the corner of her eye coming towards her. "Don't! Just... Don't." She snapped. Gajeel held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, backing up. She ran shaking hands through her hair, expecting it to be windblown, but it was just like it always was. 

"I'm gonna take you to the dorms." Gajeel held out a hand to her, but she ignored it and stood on shaking legs. 

"I don't need you to. Besides, I can't let Cobra or Angel or someone seeing me like this." She muttered. 

"Through the backdoor. C'mon." He grabbed her arm this time, not giving her much of a choice, and dragged her through the door behind the desk with the computer. She let him drag her for a few moments of silence before she yanked her arm away from him, making him stop. 

"What was that for anyways? I didn't think being Dauntless meant weeks of torture!" 

"Your fear could have been a hell of a lot worse than it was. You're lucky." He crossed his arms, leveling her with a steady glare. 

"Maybe it's not so bad to you, but that was my worst nightmare!" She yelled, waving her arms around for emphasis. 

"It's supposed to help you overcome cowardice." 

"How?! Cowardice is what I do in real life, and I won't be walking on any thin ropes thousands of feet in the air in real life!" She felt tears spring to her eyes, but she forced herself to not cry. Not again. 

"We're trying to teach you how to think when you're gripped by fear." He sighed. "You seemed to do that, because you would start to calm down when you focused. Then, you'd think about what was happening and panic again. You just need to control how you focus." Gajeel smirked at her. "After this, you won't be a weak shrimp." She lightly shoved his shoulder at the annoying nickname and started to walk again. 

"What was your first hallucination?" She asked him, glancing at him sideways. 

"More of a who, and a where." He answered vaguely. She figured that was the most she'd get out of him. 

"Are you over it?" 

"I like to think so." He nodded slowly. 

"So, they don't go away?"

"Sometimes. And sometimes, something new replaces it." His expression hardened and she wondered what he feared. He seemed... Fearless. "The point isn't to never be afraid, the point is to learn to control it." He added in that teacher tone of his. "Sometimes, your fears in the simulation aren't what they appear to be. Yours was fairly obvious as a fear of heights, but tomorrow it might be a symbol of something you fear. Who knows?" He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. They reached the dorm door and stopped. 

"I didn't know this would be what it's like to become Dauntless." Levy shifted, leaning against the wall. 

"It wasn't always like this, I've been told. About six years ago, the leaders changed the training methods to be more competitive and brutal, to test strength. Makarov was against it, he knew it would change Dauntless as a whole." Gajeel's eyes drifted to a scar on his arm and seemed to be lost in thought over it. 

"If you were first, what was Laxus's rank?" She asked carefully. 

Gajeel smirked. "Second." His smirk grew to a grin, all teeth and sharp canines. It made her smile too. 

"Do I look like I've been crying and having continuous panic attacks?" She asked him, glancing towards the door. Gajeel leaned in close to her face, making her ears turn red as she stared back at his eyes inspecting her. 

"No." He answered her seriously with a firm nod. She smiled lightly at him, finding hard to breathe for a moment, but it was different than fear. This was... Anticipation. 

"Thank you." She finally said, turning and entering the dorm.


	16. Brief Peace

Inside, Cobra had a crowd around him. He was reading from articles that insulted other factions, while Lucy was telling him to knock it off. It seemed to be calling Abnegation out for whatever the people had an issue with today. It also called Jude Heartfilia into question, since his daughter Lucy left for Dauntless. Levy watched Lucy's eyes widen and cheeks flush as she marched towards Cobra. She snatched the article away from him and ripped it down the middle. "That used to be your home too, you utter ass." She growled out. Levy rushed up and grabbed her friends arm, pulling her back. 

"It's not worth it, Luce. C'mon." She pulled her out of the dorm. "Thought you hated your dad anyways." 

"I do! I don't care what happens to him, but now everyone knows I'm related to him, because of Cobra!" She shouted. "I came here to get away from him, not have everyone look at me." She wailed, more angry than sad. Jet and Droy appeared a moment later. 

"We're going to get our tattoos. Come with us." Jet threw an arm around Lucy's shoulder with an easy-going grin. Droy smiled softly at Levy. 

"Sounds like a great idea. I might get another." The blonde nodded, wanting anything to take her mind off of things. Jet smirked, pulling back. 

"Race ya!" He took off like a rocket, making Lucy shriek after him. 

"No fair! You're the fastest one out of all of us!" She yelled, giving chase. Levy giggled, taking off after the two with Droy following behind her. They raced up to the tattoo parlor and she watched Lucy get the Dauntless seal, a circle with flames in it. She seemed like she was erasing all evidence of Erudite from her, by permanently marking herself as Dauntless. Levy thought it looked good on her, on her shoulder. Jet got a tattoo of a symbol that represented speed. Droy just watched, until Jet convinced him to get a tattoo as well. He went with bird on the back of his neck.

"Levy." Lucy gave her a look. "It's time for a makeover. We've all had a rough day. Let's go." 

"Luce-" Levy protested as she was forcibly dragged to a clothing shop. "I'm happy with what I'm wearing now!" 

"Don't care. Put this on." She shoved a black shirt that would show off more of her shoulders and collarbone. The edges of her tattoo on her shoulder blade could be seen. She changed in one of the dressing rooms, coming out shyly. "You look hot." Lucy nodded appreciatively. Jet and Droy both seemed a bit flustered. "Come here."

Lucy held up a back pencil that she had bought as Levy walked over. She lined her eyes with the makeup and grinned widely. The black makeup made her gold eyes pop. She bought the shirt and wore it out of the shop, walking with her group of friends as they headed back in the direction of the dorms. "So, anyone feel like sharing their fears?" 

"Too much water." Lucy said vaguely. 

"Not enough space." Droy rubbed his arm uncomfortably. Jet stayed quiet.

"Too high." Levy told them, though it wasn't much of a surprise to them at this point. They all knew of her aversion to heights. They started to pass the chasm when Jet spoke up. 

"Instructor alert." He motioned to the chasm. By the railing was Gajeel, laughing with a group of people. He held a bottle in his hand and seemed looser than normal. Levy was so used to seeing him as a rigid, angry instructor that she forgot he was a person too. 

"It's just Gajeel. He's harmless. Laxus would make us play chicken." Lucy pointed out as they got closer. 

"Hey shrimp!" Levy's head whipped around, finding Gajeel staring at her. He walked over, barely looking at the others with her. "You seem... Different. Good different." 

"You do too." She raised an eyebrow at him, arms crossed. "What are you doing?" 

"Flirting with death." He laughed. "Drinking with friends, and my sister." He motioned back at the group. A young girl, the same she kept seeing around Gajeel, was hanging around them, her blue hair split in two ponytails as usual. She was far too young to be drinking, so she held a soda instead. She bounced over and smiled. 

"Hi! My name's Wendy." She looked up at Gajeel and wrinkled her nose. "Take it easy, okay?" 

"My name is Levy. Are you Gajeel's sister?" Levy asked softly. 

"Yes! I'm making sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Wendy nodded, her blue pigtails bouncing up and down.

"How old are you?" Levy asked curiously. 

"I'm thirteen!" She grinned. Gajeel rubbed her head with a softer smile than Levy was used to seeing. 

"She's... Just a kid, but we're all we have." He muttered, taking another swig of his bottle. "You look good." 

Levy blinked, her cheeks dusted pink. "Sorry?"

"I said," He leaned a little closer, propping an arm on Wendy as he did so. She made a face. "You look _good,_ shrimp." He paused. "Levy." He finally said. "Somethin' about you seems different today." 

"Ah- Thank you." She tried not to read into what he was saying. He was drunk, or at least getting there. "Wendy, do me a favor, keep him away from the chasm." She asked the younger girl, who nodded rapidly. Droy lifted Levy suddenly, like she was little more than a sack of potatoes. It made her face become much hotter. 

"Let's go to dinner!" He took off, Lucy and Jet following. Levy was thrown over Droy's shoulder so she could see them following. Gajeel watched as she was carried off by her larger friend. There was something in his eyes that made her face heat up even more. She wasn't put back on solid ground again until they reached the dining hall. "I thought I'd rescue you." Droy shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. 

"Thanks." She laughed, moving her hair out of her face.

"What was that all about, hm?" Lucy nudged her side as they sat down with their plates full of food. 

"He was drunk, he probably didn't even realize what he was saying half the time." Levy rolled her eyes, ignoring the twist in her stomach and the heat in her cheeks. "It was nice to meet his sister. Kinda reminds you he's a person too." 

Lucy only smirked. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Lev." She took a bite of her food before continuing casually, "You do look hot though. Only a matter of time till he noticed." 

Levy choked on her drink, coughing half of it back up on the table. It made all of them laugh loudly, and eventually she joined in on the giggles. It was pretty funny, after all. She was struck suddenly, again, with the differences here from her home faction. The dinners at Amity weren't as loud and rambunctious, but they could be fun too. They would sing songs together, share plates of food, share stories in front of everyone. They all ate together like a community. Here in Dauntless, everyone ate together if they felt like it. It could be loud, or quiet, or crazy, or still. It just depended on who you surrounded yourself with, and the short bluenette decided she had surrounded herself with a good group of people. 

The clamor drowned out her thoughts and she came back to the conversation at hand, nodding enthusiastically and laughing until her stomach hurt. Even though the new stage of initiation was going to be hell, she could survive with these people.


End file.
